According to sources cited by the AP, CIA chief Leon Panetta will be tapped as defense secretary and Gen. David Petraeus will lead the CIA. And an Afghan pilot opened fire on NATO troops at the Kabul airport, killing eight NATO soldiers and one contractor. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, but Afghan officials said the attack was prompted by a dispute.
An Afghan air force pilot opened fire on NATO troops at the Kabul airport, killing eight NATO soldiers and one contractor, reportedly after a dispute broke out. A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility, but the Afghan defense ministry said the attack was prompted by a dispute, and that the pilot had been in the military for 20 years. The pilot was killed in an exchange of gunfire.
The deadly shooting marks the seventh time that members of the Afghan security forces -- or insurgents wearing the uniform of the Afghan forces -- have attacked coalition troops. The incidents have raised fears of further infiltration into the Afghan National Army, as NATO prepares to hand over certain parts of the country to the control of Afghan forces.
Just last week, an insurgent wearing an army uniform made his way past checkpoints and to the second floor of the defense ministry building wearing an explosive vest, killing two before being shot and killed before he could detonate the bombs. And earlier this month, two NATO troops were killed in the northern part of the country by an Afghan border policeman.
Sources Say Panetta Will Go to Pentagon, Petraeus to CIA in Major Shuffle
According to sources cited by the Associated Press, CIA chief Leon Panetta will be tapped to replace retiring Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Gen. David Petraeus, leading troops in Afghanistan, would head to the CIA in a shakeup of the administration's national security team. The White House is expected to announce the move on Thursday.
Lt. Gen. John Allen would likely be tapped to replace Petraeus, and Ryan Crocker would replace Karl Eikenberry as ambassador to Afghanistan. Crocker was formerly ambassador to Iraq.
Stay with the NewsHour for more on these developments Thursday.
