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Afghan attack: General Harold Greene was 'true hero' | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
The US military has paid tribute to Maj Gen Harold Greene, killed by an Afghan soldier in an insider attack on Tuesday, as a "true hero". | |
Gen Greene, the most senior US soldier killed in action overseas since Vietnam, was shot dead as he visited a UK-run military training facility. | Gen Greene, the most senior US soldier killed in action overseas since Vietnam, was shot dead as he visited a UK-run military training facility. |
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the shooting was a "cowardly attack". | Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the shooting was a "cowardly attack". |
Officials said the Afghan soldier who opened fire had subsequently been shot dead. | |
At least 15 other soldiers were injured. Two Britons, several Americans and generals from Germany and Afghanistan were among the wounded. | |
Insider attacks have become one of the defining features of the later phase of the conflict in Afghanistan. | Insider attacks have become one of the defining features of the later phase of the conflict in Afghanistan. |
They have hampered efforts to train the country's 350,000-strong security force as they prepare to take on the Taliban once most US and Nato forces depart. | They have hampered efforts to train the country's 350,000-strong security force as they prepare to take on the Taliban once most US and Nato forces depart. |
US Army spokesman Juanita Chang described Gen Greene as a "true hero". | US Army spokesman Juanita Chang described Gen Greene as a "true hero". |
She said he was working "to better advance the Afghans and the cause in Afghanistan". | She said he was working "to better advance the Afghans and the cause in Afghanistan". |
"He really believed what he was doing over there," she said. | "He really believed what he was doing over there," she said. |
US media reaction | |
US newspapers have been speaking to Gen Greene's friends and colleagues, who painted a picture of a cerebral general who was more interested in software than military hardware. | |
The LA Times reported that Gen Greene would be remembered for being a "brilliant logistician with a quick sense of humour", while the New York Times said he was a "gadget guru" whose missions usually did not involve actual fighting. Both said that he used iPads and videogames to help train a new generation of American soldiers. | |
The Washington Post concentrated on his role as deputy commander in training Afghan security forces, calling him a "key figure" in this process. | |
Correspondents say that the attack raises new doubts about Nato's ability to train Afghan forces as Western countries gradually withdraw. | Correspondents say that the attack raises new doubts about Nato's ability to train Afghan forces as Western countries gradually withdraw. |
From the end of this year, just under 10,000 American troops will remain, with all withdrawing by the end of 2016. | |
The Pentagon described insider attacks as a "pernicious threat". | |
It described it as an isolated attack and insisted that there had been no breakdown of trust between coalition soldiers and their Afghan counterparts. | |
Afghan 'Sandhurst' | Afghan 'Sandhurst' |
The Afghan soldier who opened fire was recruited three years ago, Afghan defence ministry sources told the BBC. | The Afghan soldier who opened fire was recruited three years ago, Afghan defence ministry sources told the BBC. |
He carried out the shootings from a guard post as a large group of senior Afghan and international troops gathered. | |
By the time he had emptied the magazine of his US-issue M16 rifle, more than a dozen people had been shot, our correspondent says. | By the time he had emptied the magazine of his US-issue M16 rifle, more than a dozen people had been shot, our correspondent says. |
The Afghan commander of the British-led officers' academy, Gen Gulam Sakhi, was among those wounded. | The Afghan commander of the British-led officers' academy, Gen Gulam Sakhi, was among those wounded. |
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