US Soldier Killed, Another Wounded in Afghan Insider Attack

Sixth American killed in Afghanistan this year

Details are still unclear, but one American soldier was reported killed and another wounded Monday in what officials are describing as an “apparent insider attack” in eastern Afghanistan. The wounded soldier is in stable condition.

Previous insider attacks have tended to happen when US soldiers were present at Afghan military bases or outposts.  This is the second insider attack in the past two months. In July, one soldier was killed and two others wounded.

Exactly what happened in this case in unclear, however. The Pentagon has not specified where the attack took place, or in what context. Officials say this is the sixth US soldier to be killed this year in Afghanistan.

This is an unusual lack of information for an insider attack, as in the past such incidents have almost always come with considerable information, including what the gunman was doing at the time the shooting started.

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.