CNN (USA), BBC NEWS (UK), KHAAMA PRESS (Afghanistan)
An Afghan man wearing a military uniform killed three American soldiers in southern Afghanistan on Friday, only a day after U.S. authorities condemned a suicide bombing earlier this week that killed four other Americans.
The attack is the latest in a string of ‘green-on-blue’ attacks, where Afghan security forces turn on Western troops. The attacks have eroded trust between Afghan authorities and their NATO allies, who are scheduled to leave by 2014.
CNN reports that the man opened fire on the troops in the Helmand province, according to an International Assistance Security Force (ISAF) spokesperson, who did not provide further details.
According to the BBC, Afghan officials say the three soldiers were Special Forces members. Officials also told the BBC that the soldiers were meeting with an elder who said he wanted to join the police but turned out to be a Taliban infiltrator and shot them.
A NATO spokeswoman told Reuters it was too early to verify these details.
Earlier this week a suicide bomber killed four Americans and an Afghan interpreter in the eastern Kunar province. On Thursday U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the bombing, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.
NATO says there have been 24 so-called ‘green-on-blue’ attacks with 28 people killed since January 2012, according to Khaama Press.
The past week has been particularly violent for Afghanistan. On Tuesday a remote-controlled bomb killed nine passengers on a bus near the capital Kabul.
