‘Rogue’ Shooting: NATO Soldier Slain by Afghan Policeman

Man in Police Uniform in East Afghanistan Turned His Gun on NATO Troops

The latest in a growing number of “rogue” shooting incidents in Afghanistan, NATO has announced today that a NATO soldier from an unspecified nation was killed when a man in a police uniform turned his gun on him and shot him.

NATO offered precious little information about the incident, beyond it occurring in “Eastern Afghanistan.” They indicated that “more information will be released as appropriate” but provided no timeline for doing so.

Such shootings have become increasingly common across Afghanistan, as Taliban factions have worked to infiltrate the nation’s security forces. This is a relatively easy task as NATO has been pushing for mass recruitment efforts which, by and large, take little effort to assure the identities of those being recruited.

Of course such killings flow both ways in the country, and on Monday morning NATO warplanes attacked a police station, killing four police and wounding eight. Such incidents on both sides have increased mistrust between the two.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.