Afghan Policeman Kills Two US Troops in Insider Attack

A man in an Afghan police uniform attacked and killed two US soldiers today in the Uruzgan Province in the latest apparent “green-on-blue” attack in Afghanistan. Officials have yet to confirm the attacker’s identity, and don’t know if he was an actual policeman or just someone who stole a uniform.

The attacker approached the soldiers pre-dawn as they were returning from a patrol, then opened fire killing two before escaping into the countryside. There was no indication what caused the incident, as many such shootings have been retaliation for arguments.

If confirmed as an “insider” attack this would be 55 NATO soldiers killed so far this year in such attacks, by far the most of any single year in the 11+ year occupation of Afghanistan.

Taliban officials have regularly claimed credit for such attacks, though how many they are actually responsible for is a matter of some dispute. Taliban leader Mullah Omar released a statement yesterday urging his fighters to infiltrate the Afghan security forces to launch more such attacks.