Kabul: In what appears to be an insider 'green-on-blue' attack, two men donning Afghan military uniform shot dead two NATO troops in southern Afghan province of Hemland, before they were killed in return fire, said the international coalition.
This is the first case of an insider attack on NATO forces since the Taliban announced Mullah Mansour Akhtar as its new chief following the reports of death of Mullah Omar.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement, NATO said the two men in Afghan uniforms opened fire on a vehicle with international troops inside it. Both shooters were killed when NATO forces returned fire, it said.
NATO did not elaborate, nor did it identify the nationalities of the international troops killed nor the base the attack took place. It said the attackers wore "Afghan National Defense and Security Forces uniforms," which include the country's police, military and border patrol.
The motive for the attack was not immediately known and no group claimed responsibility for the assault. In past attacks, Taliban insurgents have been known to wear Afghan police or military uniforms to stage attacks on the international troops. Others have opened fire apparently on the own accord, like an Afghan soldier who last year killed Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, the highest-ranked U.S. officer to be slain in combat since 1970 in the Vietnam War.
The shooting is the third "insider attack" on foreign forces this year. In January, three American civilian contractors were shot dead at Kabul airport by an Afghan soldier who was also killed. In April, an American soldier was killed by an Afghan soldier inside the compound of the governor of eastern Nangarhar province's city of Jalalabad.
With Agency Inputs
