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Afghan Police Kill 5 British Soldiers, NATO 5 Afghan Civilians
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rwro-@yahoo.com
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Nov 04, 2009 06:14 PST
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/world/asia/05afghan.html
New York Times
November 4, 2009
Afghan Police Officer Kills Five British Soldiers Sign in to Recommend
-At about the same time, militants attacked on the other side of the checkp=
oint and during subsequent fighting a fire broke out. As local people attem=
pted to put out the blaze, warplanes attacked the militants and killed five=
civilians.=20
KABUL, Afghanistan: Britain said Wednesday that five of its soldiers died T=
uesday in Helmand province in an attack by what a British officer called a =
=E2=80=9Crogue=E2=80=9D Afghan policeman.
Just one month after an Afghan policeman opened fire on American soldiers d=
uring a joint patrol in Wardak province, killing two of them, the incident =
provoked new concerns about indiscipline and infiltration within the Afghan=
security forces, which are supposed to be preparing to take a broader role=
in combating the Taliban insurgency.
The death toll represented one of the highest British fatalities in a singl=
e attack since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and brought the number o=
f British soldiers to have died in the conflict to 229.
Lt. Col. David Wakefield, a British spokesman in Helmand, said an =E2=80=9C=
individual rogue=E2=80=9D Afghan policeman opened fire on British during in=
the southern province on Tuesday. An Afghan official said the gunman was s=
ympathetic to the Taliban insurgents who have been fighting an increasingly=
bold campaign against Afghan and NATO forces. Six British soldiers were al=
so wounded.=20
Around noon on Tuesday, a detachment of British soldiers was visiting a joi=
ntly manned Afghan and British checkpoint near a health clinic in a village=
in Helmand. The British soldiers were on the checkpoint=E2=80=99s roof wit=
h some of the Afghan police officers responsible for protecting the clinic.=
=20
The atmosphere was relaxed and the British were not wearing body armor, acc=
ording to a spokesperson for the provincial government, Dawoud Ahmadi.=20
Without warning, at least one of the Afghan troops began firing an automati=
c weapon in quick bursts at the British soldiers, according to Haji Barakza=
i, a local official. The British retaliated, killing one police officer and=
injuring two. It was unclear whether the gunman was hit, he said.=20
Mr. Barakzai said that the local police commander said the gunman was known=
to be sympathetic to the Taliban.=20
At about the same time, militants attacked on the other side of the checkpo=
int and during subsequent fighting a fire broke out. As local people attemp=
ted to put out the blaze, warplanes attacked the militants and killed five =
civilians.=20
There was no immediate confirmation from NATO of the incident and it was un=
clear if the two attacks were coordinated. A Taliban spokesman in southern =
Afghanistan said they were calling their commanders to see if the attacker =
had any connection to a local Taliban group, but that so far no one had hea=
rd of him.=20
....
Britain is the largest contributor to NATO forces in Afghanistan after the =
United States, with some 9,000 soldiers fighting the Taliban or helping to =
train Afghan forces....
Alissa J. Rubin reported from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Alan Cowell from Pari=
s. Taimoor Shah contributed from Kabul.
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