Two more U.S. troops have lost their lives to green on blue violence. An Afghan soldier described as "rogue" by Reuters shot to death the two Americans in east Afghanistan today. The soldier was later killed by NATO International Security Assistance Forces.
Noman Hatefi, a spokesman for the Afghan army corps in eastern Afghanistan, told the Associated Press the Americans were killed when an Afghan soldier mistakenly discharged his weapon:
"He didn't do this intentionally. But then the commander of the unit started shouting at him, `What did you do? You killed two NATO soldiers!' And so he threw down his weapon and started to run," Hatefi added. The U.S. troops had already called in air support to help with the insurgent attack and the aircraft fired on the escaping Afghan soldier from above, killing him, Hatefi said.
A total of 12 U.S. service members have been killed in insider attacks in the last three weeks. Reuters reports NATO ISAF officials are now requiring all troops to be armed with loaded weapons on base.
The American deaths cap what was a very bloody weekend in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press. Taliban insurgents murdered 17 Afghan civilians who were enjoying a festival that included music and dancing. All 17 bodies were found beheaded, but it's not known if the dead were shot before being decapitated.
