Afghan soldier opens fire
2009-12-29 22:06
Kabul - An American soldier has died after being shot when an Afghan soldier opened fire on foreign troops in western Afghanistan on Tuesday, also wounding two Italians, Nato said.
The US soldier died from his wounds not long after the incident, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.
"An ISAF service member from the United States died following a shooting today in western Afghanistan," ISAF said in a statement.
"ISAF is working with its Afghan partners to investigate the incident."
The soldier's family had been informed, a spokesperson said, though he had no further details.
An Italian military spokesperson said the incident took place at 11:30 (07:00 GMT) during a supply operation in Bala Murghab in Badghis province.
The Italian soldiers suffered only minor injuries and had already resumed duties, the spokesperson said.
"The soldier who opened fire was also wounded during the response from ISAF soldiers and the Afghan army who were at the scene. He was arrested immediately and is now under observation in the camp hospital," the military said.
An investigation is under way to establish exactly what happened, the statement said.
It was unclear if it was an accident, "friendly fire" or a deliberate attack, the ISAF spokesperson said on condition that he not be named. No other details were immediately available.
Last month, a rogue Afghan policeman shot dead five British soldiers in southern Afghanistan, an attack later claimed by the Taliban.
The incident raised questions about training programmes for the Afghan police and army, which are struggling to meet massive government-set quotas and have been accused of dropping standards to achieve the numbers.
- SAPA