Army Sgt. Michael Cable, whose death was reported last week by the Department of Defense as the result of "an attack by enemy forces," was actually stabbed to death by an Afghan teenager, according to an exclusive report by the Associated Press.
Two unnamed senior U.S. officials told the Associated Press that Cable, 26, was killed March 27 when an Afghan teenager stabbed him in the neck. Cable was playing with a group of local children at the time of the attack:
[O]ne of the U.S. officials said the youth was not believed to have been a member of the Afghan security forces or in uniform so it was not being classified as an insider attack.
The official said the attacker was thought to be about 16 years old, but the age couldn't be verified.
Cable was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
As Home Post reported last week, Cable was from Philpot, Kentucky, and was a cross-country running standout when he attended Daviess County High School. His coach, Tony Rowe, told local website The Messenger-Inquirer.com:
"I sent out an email this morning with the Bible verse, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends'. He's a hero. He died fighting for us and trying to make life better for the people of Afghanistan."
