An apparent insider attack by Afghan forces has killed a US service member and a foreign civilian contractor with Nato, officials said on Sunday. The attack – the latest in a string of strikes by Afghan allies on international troops – marked the 2,000th US troop death in Afghanistan over the long-running conflict.
A US official confirmed that the service member killed was American. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the nationality of the dead had not yet been formally announced.
At least two Afghan soldiers were also killed in Saturday’s attack at an Afghan army checkpoint in Wardak province, said Shahidullah Shahid, a provincial government spokesman.
An Afghan soldier turned his gun on the Americans and started shooting, Shahid said. He said the checkpoint was in Sayd Abad district, just outside a joint US-Afghan base.
“Initial reports indicate that a misunderstanding happened between Afghan army soldiers and American soldiers,” Shahid said. He said investigators had been sent to the site to try to figure out what happened.
An Afghan military spokesman declined to comment.