KABUL — An Afghan soldier shot and killed a U.S. soldier and wounded two others Wednesday before being shot dead, the first so-called “insider attack” to target NATO troops since they ended their combat mission at the start of the year.
The shooting happened after Afghan provincial leaders met a U.S. Embassy official at the compound of the Nangarhar provincial governor in the city of Jalalabad. All U.S. Embassy staff were accounted for and safe, the diplomatic mission said.
“Right after the U.S. official had left, suddenly an Afghan army soldier opened fire on the U.S. soldiers who were present in the compound,” said Afghan Gen. Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, the police chief for eastern Nangarhar province
The American troops returned fire, killing the Afghan soldier, whom Sherzad identified as Abdul Azim of Laghman province.
The motive for his attack was not immediately known and no group claimed responsibility for the assault.
In past attacks, Taliban insurgents have been known to wear Afghan police or military uniforms to stage attacks on the international troops. Others have opened fire apparently on the own accord, like an Afghan soldier who last year killed Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, the highest-ranked U.S. officer to be slain in combat since 1970 in the Vietnam War.
NATO confirmed that one of its soldiers died in the attack Wednesday, without providing the nationality of the slain soldier. A Washington official confirmed the soldier was American, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information before an official announcement was made.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, when asked about the shooting, said it “underscores that Afghanistan continues to be a dangerous place.”
