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Afghan kills two British soldiers at Nato base | |
(40 minutes later) | |
A man in an Afghan army uniform has shot and killed two British soldiers at a Nato base in southern Afghanistan, officials said. | |
In a statement, Nato said an individual wearing an Afghan uniform turned his weapon against international troops. Coalition forces then returned fire. | |
"The gunman was shot and killed," Major Jason Waggoner, a Nato spokesman, said. A western official in southern Afghanistan confirmed that the incident happened at the main Nato base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. | |
The attack appeared to be the latest in a string of so-called green-on-blue attacks in which Afghan security forces have turned on their international colleagues or mentors. Such attacks have become increasingly common over the past year. | The attack appeared to be the latest in a string of so-called green-on-blue attacks in which Afghan security forces have turned on their international colleagues or mentors. Such attacks have become increasingly common over the past year. |
There have also been incidents in which insurgents have worn Afghan uniforms to launch attacks. | |
Tensions between the US and Afghanistan have been particularly strained following the burning of copies of the Qur'an at a US base in February. That act – which US officials have acknowledged was a mistake – sparked riots and attacks that killed more than 30 people, including six US soldiers. | |
Afghans have also expressed outrage at the 11 March shooting spree, allegedly carried out by a US soldier, in which at least 16 villagers were killed, although the incident has not sparked the same level of public protests. | |
The Lashkar Gah base is dominated by British forces. The Ministry of Defence said it was aware of the incident, but refused to release any more details. |