Afghan soldier opens fire, kills US trooper

An Afghan army soldier on Tuesday opened fire on US-led forces, fatally shooting an American soldier and inflicting injuries on two Italian troopers.

The incident occurred in the northwestern Badghis province's Bala Murghab village, Reuters reported. The attacker was injured by retaliatory fire by NATO and Afghan forces before being arrested.

The Italian contingent said its soldiers had suffered minor injuries, adding that the shooter "is now under observation in the camp hospital."

An Afghan army official confirmed the report.

"The soldier opened fire on the two Italians and one American in a joint afghan and foreign base," General Khair Mohammad Khawari, a senior officer in western Afghanistan, told Reuters.

The motive behind the attack is unknown.

In early November, five British soldiers were killed by an Afghan policeman at a checkpoint in Helmand province. Two American soldiers were fatally shot in a similar incident in late March.

Analysts say the frequency by which the attacks have been taking place point to resentment within the Afghan soldiers at the US-led military presence.

The United States commands around 113,000 soldiers in the war-torn country. 38,000, mostly American, troops are to be dispatched there in the coming months.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=114901§ionid=351020403.