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KABUL, Afghanistan – A man wearing an Afghan army uniform shot dead a U.S. servicemember in the east of the country, one of two NATO troops killed onFriday, military officials said. The Taliban took credit for theattack. Also Friday, the U.S.-led military coalition offered condolences tothe families of Afghan civilians who were killed in airstrikesearlier this month. The shooting was the 15th incident this year in which Afghansoldiers or insurgents disguised in military uniforms have turnedtheir weapons on foreign troops. The killings have increased thelevel of mistrust between the U.S.-led coalition and its Afghanpartners and raised questions about the readiness of local forcesto take over from NATO ahead of a 2014 deadline for the withdrawalof foreign combat troops. An Afghan defense official said the incident took place in Kunarprovince in northeast Afghanistan. The official spoke on conditionof anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. NATO did not disclose the nationality of the trooper killed, but aPentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. John Kirby, said the service memberwas an American. Kirby said U.S. and allied officials are troubled that theseattacks are continuing with some regularity despite efforts toimprove the vetting of Afghans who are recruited into the army andpolice. "It continues to be a very worrisome issue for us and for ourAfghan partners," he said. The coalition said an investigation into Friday's attack was underway. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed theinsurgent group was behind the shooting. The Taliban regularly takecredit for attacks in the country, even if they were not involved. The threat of Afghan soldiers or militants disguised in uniformsturning their guns on NATO troops has long existed but has grownmore deadly over the past five years. While there were only a fewdeaths reported in 2007 and 2008, 35 foreign troops were killed insuch attacks last year. So far this year, there have been 15 such attacks, killing 20 NATOservice members, according to Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a spokesmanfor the U.S.-led NATO coalition. The coalition routinely reports each time an American or otherforeign soldier is killed by an Afghan in uniform, but the militaryis underreporting the number of overall attacks. The AssociatedPress reported last month that the coalition does not reportattacks in which an Afghan wounds -- or misses -- his U.S. orallied target. It also doesn't report the wounding of troops whowere attacked alongside those who were killed. U.S. officials say that in most cases the rogue soldiers aremotivated not by sympathy for the Taliban or on orders from theinsurgents, but rather act as a result of personal grievancesagainst the coalition. NATO said a second service member died following an insurgentattack in southern Afghanistan, but did not provide further detailsabout the death. The coalition offered condolences to the families of Afghancivilians killed earlier this month in airstrikes in Helmand andBadghis provinces. "Unfortunately, the preliminary investigations into these eventshave determined that our actions have resulted in a number ofdeaths and injuries to Afghan civilians," the coalition said in astatement late Friday. U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, the top commander of U.S. and NATOforces in Afghanistan, will brief Afghan President Hamid Karzai onthe initial investigations into the civilian deaths, the coalitionsaid. The Taliban kill more civilians than foreign forces, but the deathsof citizens caught in the crossfire of the decade-long war continueto be an irritant in Karzai's relationship with his internationalpartners. Earlier this week, the Afghan president warned thatcivilian casualties caused by NATO airstrikes could undermine thestrategic partnership agreement he just signed with the U.S. Thedocument governs the relationship between the two countries fromthe end of 2014 until 2024. The coalition did not disclose the number of civilians killed inthe two airstrikes on May 4 and 6 in Helmand and Badghis provinces,respectively. Abdul Ghani Sabary, the deputy governor of Badghis, said the strikein Bala Murghab district killed eight civilians and wounded 10others. Gulab Mangal, governor of Helmand province, said six civilians diedin the airstrike in Sangin district. Afghan officials said four other civilians were killed this monthin airstrikes in Logar and Kapisa provinces. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Off Roading Accessories Manufacturer , Marine Electric Winch for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Portable Electric winch.
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