Those last two deaths I posted - it appears these troops were killed by supposedly "friendly" fire. There are two differing reports that I will post here.
Reuters:
KABUL, Oct 3 (Reuters) - An Afghan soldier on guard at a joint base with U.S. troops shot dead two American servicemen and wounded two others as they slept, a provincial official said on Saturday.
Shahedullah Shahed, spokesman for the governor of Wardak province west of Kabul, said the shooting took place after a combined team of Afghan and U.S. forces had returned from a joint operation late on Friday.
"The Americans were in the middle of sleep when an Afghan soldier on duty opened fire on them," Shahed said.
"We have no clue as to why he shot them."
A statement from NATO-led forces said two American soldiers died from injuries suffered in a "hostile attack" in eastern Afghanistan on Friday. A press officer for the Western troops said he could give no further details of the incident. (For more Reuters coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan, see: here) (Reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)
CBS NEWS:
Makes me wonder more and more what we are doing there . . . . . .An Afghan policeman conducting a joint operation with U.S. soldiers opened fire on the Americans, killing two of them before fleeing, an Afghan official said Saturday, raising fears that militants have infiltrated the ranks of Afghan forces.
The U.S. military earlier said two American troops died in a firefight in Wardak on Friday, but declined to confirm any new details.
Although Afghan forces have periodically turned their guns on international troops, training and working jointly with Afghan police and soldiers on patrols and operations are key to the U.S. strategy of curbing the spreading Taliban-led insurgency.
Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the Wardak provincial governor, said the policeman fired on the Americans while they were patrolling together Friday night, killing two and injuring two. Shahid said two of the officer's relatives were in custody for questioning.
A third U.S. service member died Friday of wounds from a bomb attack in Wardak the day before.![]()
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