KABUL — A man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire outside a NATO base in eastern Afghanistan, wounding five American soldiers, an Afghan police official said Wednesday.
The number of insider attacks against foreign forces in Afghanistan has increased this year, undermining the trust between allies and efforts to prepare Afghan troops to take over security as international combat troops prepare to withdraw.
The U.S.-led coalition confirmed in a statement that a number of its service members were shot and wounded by a man in an Afghan army uniform Tuesday in Wardak province’s Sayed Abad district. It said Wednesday that the service members were being treated at a medical facility but did provide details.
NATO did not say where in the district the attack took place or what happened to the assailant.
Wardak provincial police chief Abdul Qayum Bakizoi said the wounded were five U.S. soldiers.
He did not have further details.
A witness said Afghan civilians were talking to the soldiers outside their base when a man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire on them with a machine gun.
