Several wounded as Afghan soldier opens fire at British military academy
KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. general
was killed and more than a dozen people were wounded on Tuesday,
including a German general, in the latest insider attack by a man
believed to be an Afghan soldier, U.S., German and Afghan officials
said.
The U.S. Army said
late on Tuesday the slain general was Major General Harold Greene, a
senior officer with the international military command ISAF. He was the
most senior U.S. military official killed in action overseas since the
war in Vietnam, military officials said.
"These soldiers were professionals, committed to the mission," U.S.
Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno said in a statement, referring to the
soldiers killed and wounded in the attack.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters that "many
were seriously wounded," and the gunman was killed in the attack, which
took place on Tuesday at the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, a
training center in Kabul.
The attack raised fresh questions about the ability of NATO soldiers to
train and advise Afghan security forces as western nations gradually
withdraw. The U.S. and German generals were on a routine visit, the
Pentagon said.
A NATO soldier opens fire toward journalists near the main gate of Camp Qargha, west of Kabul, Afgha …
A U.S. official said the gunman fired on the foreign soldiers
using a light machine gun. Afghanistan's Defense Ministry described him
as a "terrorist in army uniform."
The German military said its general was one of 14 coalition troops
wounded in Tuesday's attack, adding that his life was not in danger.
Seven Americans and five British troops were among the wounded, an
Afghan official said.
Past
insider attacks have eroded trust while straining foreign efforts to
train Afghanistan's 350,000-strong security force and prepare them to
fight the Taliban once most U.S. and NATO forces depart.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone with General Joe
Dunford, who commands U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan,
about the incident, Kirby said. He said the shooting was being
investigated jointly by Afghan authorities and the international
military coalition that is winding down its long mission in Afghanistan.
The Afghan president was quick to condemn the attack, saying the
delegation had been visiting the facility to help build the country's
security forces.
NATO military vehicles leave the Camp Qargha, west of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. A m …
The Taliban says insider attacks reflect their ability to
infiltrate the enemy. International military coalition officials say the
incidents often arise over misunderstandings or altercations between
troops.
U.S. military
officials said it was too soon to say whether the high-ranking officers
had been specifically targeted by the shooter.
"We remain committed to our mission in Afghanistan and will continue to
work with our Afghan partners to ensure the safety and security of all
coalition soldiers and civilians," Odierno said.
'PERNICIOUS THREAT'
In 2012, dozens of incidents forced international troops to take
measures to reduce interaction with their Afghan partners. Since then,
the number of insider attacks has fallen sharply.
An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier keeps watch at the gate of a British-run military training aca …
According to a Pentagon report on the war in April, there were
15 insider attacks against foreign troops in 2013, down from 48 in
2012.
"Despite this sharp
decline, these attacks may still have strategic effects on the campaign
and could jeopardize the relationship between coalition and ANSF
personnel," the report stated. "Insurgents remain intent on utilizing
insider attacks as an integral component of their asymmetric strategy."
The report concluded that armed guards known as 'guardian angels'
accompanying coalition officials had reduced casualties by
counter-attacking those who tried to kill foreigners.
Meanwhile, insider attacks against Afghan forces were on the rise, the report said.
Like other Western countries, the United States is planning to leave a
residual force in Afghanistan after the NATO mission ends this year,
mainly focused on supporting Afghan forces. But U.S. officials say that
first they must sign a bilateral troop deal, which cannot be finalized
until Afghanistan resolves an election dispute and swears in a new
president.
The departure
will leave Afghanistan's forces - built from scratch since 2001 and
still struggling with problems of incomplete training, illiteracy and
desertion - in charge of the bulk of the fight with the Taliban.
Pentagon spokesman Kirby said that despite protective measures it would
be impossible to eliminate the threat of such attacks entirely.
"The insider threat is ... a pernicious threat. And it's difficult to
always ascertain," Kirby said. "Afghanistan is still a war zone."
Ed Royce, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Foreign
Affairs Committee, said the progress in protecting foreign troops
serving in Afghanistan had been inadequate.
"Many brave U.S forces are working hard to help stand up the Afghan
forces so they can continue to take the lead in Afghanistan," he said.
"They don’t deserve to be victims of such cowardly terrorist attacks."
In a similar attack on Tuesday, several people were wounded in
Afghanistan's eastern province of Paktia when a policeman opened fire on
international and Afghan forces, police chief Zalmay Oryakhil said.
Adding to the tension, a NATO air strike hit a vehicle carrying
civilians in western Herat province, local officials said, killing four
members of a family returning from a wedding, including two children.
(Additional reporting by Missy Ryan and Phil Stewart in Washington,
Sabine Siebold in Berlin, Krista Mahr in Kabul, Jalil Ahmad Rezaee in
Herat and Ahmad Sultan in Gardez; Editing by Janet Lawrence, Howard
Goller, G Crosse Grant McCool) https://twitter.com/Inayat__Ullah