Two U.S. servicemembers were killed on Saturday when someone wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire on them with a machine gun, according to multiple reports.
Six other U.S. servicemembers were injured in the apparent insider attack in Nangahar province, officials said.
“Current reports indicate an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined U.S. and Afghan force with a machine gun,” Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said a statement, according to Reuters.
“We are still collecting information,” he said, adding that the motive behind the attack is unknown.
Officials also said that U.S. and Afghan military personnel were targeted while conducting an operation, The Associated Press noted.
Sen. Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio RubioHillicon Valley: Democrats press Facebook, Twitter to remove new Trump video of Pelosi | Iowa Dem chair calls for investigation into caucus problems | How Reddit is combating coronavirus misinformation Republican senators call on Twitter to suspend Iran’s Khamenei, Zarif Giuliani: Trump should ‘absolutely, 100 percent’ keep investigating Biden MORE (R-Fla.) called the deaths “tragic,” adding in a tweet Sunday morning that the servicemembers were from the Army 7th Special Forces Group based in Crestview, Fla.
Tragic news that heroic patriots of the Army 7th Special Forces Group based in Crestview, FL lost their lives in Afghanistan in what appears to be an insider attack on an Afghan base. We are all heartbroken for their families, friends & loved ones.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 9, 2020
The gunman was killed, a member of Nangarhar’s provincial council told the AP.
An unidentified Afghan defense ministry official also said the shooter was an Afghan soldier who had earlier argued with the U.S. forces, the news service reported, adding that the official said the gunman was not a Taliban infiltrator.
Officials said Afghan troops were also killed in the incident, but details on those casualties were not released.
During a surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, President Trump
Donald John Trump Biden says Buttigieg is ‘not a Barack Obama’ on NH campaign trail Democrats make final pitch at rowdy NH political spectacle Pelosi: Vindman ouster is ‘shameful’ MORE announced the resumption of peace talks with the Taliban after negotiations broke down earlier last year.
–This report was updated at 11:33 a.m.
Source Article from https://thehill.com/policy/defense/482204-two-us-service-members-killed-in-insider-attack-in-afghanistan
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