Another 'green on blue' shooting in Afghanistan
An Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of Americans in Wardrak province, wounding 5. There have been dozens of incidents of "green on blue" violence this year, costing the lives of 26 NATO soldiers.
Afghan officials said the shooter, a new recruit to the army, fled after the shooting, and authorities launched a search. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said the incident was under investigation.
The attack took place at a checkpoint in Wardak's Sayedabad district, said Afghan army Gen. Abdul Raziq, whose area of command includes Wardak. In August of last year, the district was the scene of the biggest one-time loss of U.S. lives in the war, when 31 American troops, most of them elite Navy SEALs, died after an insurgent managed to shoot down their Chinook helicopter.
The growing numbers of green-on-blue shootings complicate accelerated efforts by Western troops to train Afghan police and soldiers and hand over combat duties to them. On Wednesday, French forces formally handed over Kapisa province in eastern Afghanistan, their main area of operations, to Afghan control.
French combat troops are to depart Afghanistan by the end of this year, two years ahead of the end of NATO's combat role. The French move to pull out early gained momentum after a green-on-blue shooting in January in Kapisa that killed four French troops. A fifth later died of his wounds.
I don't think the shooters are terrorists. They are infiltrators, and it is painfully obvious that whoever is vetting recruits is doing a terrible job.
Meanwhile, it may get to the point that Afghan soldiers will be disarmed in the presence of Americans. You'd hate to see that, but aside from putting up with an incident like this a week, what other alternative is there?