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Afghan kills two troops at Nato base Afghan kills two troops at Nato base
(about 1 hour later)
A man in an Afghan army uniform has shot and killed two soldiers at a Nato base in southern Afghanistan, Nato officials have said. An Afghan soldier turned his weapon against Nato forces in the south of Afghanistan on Monday claiming the lives of two soldiers.
In a statement, Nato said an individual wearing an Afghan uniform turned his weapon against international troops. Coalition forces returned fire. Details are still emerging about the incident, but one Afghan police official said the shooting occurred at the gates of a Nato base in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand. An official Afghan army truck approached the base, but the guards reportedly denied the truck entry saying they were not authorised to bring weapons inside the base.
"The gunman was shot and killed," Major Jason Waggoner, a Nato spokesman, said. A western official in southern Afghanistan confirmed the incident took place at the main Nato base in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province. After waiting for an undetermined period of time, the police official says one of the soldiers rushed through the gate and opened fire on those inside, killing two soldiers before he himself was shot and killed.
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 incident comes as part of a growing trend of Afghan security forces targeting their international counterparts. The past year has seen a number of similar incidents that are motivated by personal disputes or insurgent infiltration.
There have also been incidents in which insurgents have worn Afghan uniforms to launch attacks. Inside Afghanistan, tensions have been unusually high in just the past month after US forces burned Qur'ans inside an international base last month resulting in a week of violent protests. This event was closely followed by a US soldier who left his base and allegedly murdered 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar province.
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. Prior to both incidents, Afghans' patience with the decade long international presence here had already worn thin.
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. "Today's act is a result of the foreigners behaviour and activities," said Sardar Mohammad Khan, a teacher in Lashkar Gah. "Everyone is frustrated – the army, the police, normal Afghans. On one side we are frustrated with our own government, the corruption, the insurgency, and the return of the Taliban. On the other side, when the foreigners are doing such things it makes you even more frustrated."
The Lashkar Gah base is dominated by British forces. The Ministry of Defence said it was aware of the incident, but refused to release further details or confirm whether the soldiers were British. The issue poses a sizeable threat to the international military alliance in Afghanistan. One military report looking at Afghan army and police caused casualties between May 2007 and May 2011 found that they were responsible for 6% of coalition casualties during that time period.
In January, France temporarily suspended its combat operations and threatened a premature withdrawal after someone in an Afghan military uniform killed four French soldiers.
Maintaining foreign support remains vital for the Afghan military, which will require an estimated $6bn (£3.7bn) to continue operating after foreign troops leave in 2014.
"These kinds of attacks have increased lately and maybe they will continue to increase in the future," said Massoud Khan Nourzai, a member of parliament from Helmand.
"They have increased because of the incidents like the one in Kandahar. If an incident like Kandahar happens, people are not sitting quietly. In every Afghan family they are talking about it and saying they committed a cruel action."
Nourzai adds that in just the last two years, many of his own relatives have stopped working with the government and joined forces with the Taliban primarily because of their frustration with the continuing presence of foreign forces.
Following the shooting in Kandahar, American officials have sought to appease Afghans by providing assistance to the families of the victims. Families reportedly received $50,000 for each person killed and another $11,000 for those who were wounded.
Still, it is increasingly apparent that relations between the west and Afghanistan will require much more than a financial settlement at this point.
"It doesn't make up for what we lost. Money is money," said Gul Marjan, a resident of Kabul's Sarobi district whose family received a $1,000 payment after his brother lost his leg during a Nato raid. "The big thing is that my brother lost his leg and our neighbours lost their family members. You can't buy a leg."