Daily US Times, Kabul: Two US soldiers and one Afghan soldier were killed in eastern Afghanistan. US military and Afghan authorities confirmed the news.
The incident happened when an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on them with a machine gun on Saturday.
The shootout wounded six U.S. service members and three Afghan soldiers.
The spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan Colonel Sonny Leggett said in a statement ”the firefight broke out after a combined U.S. and Afghan force completed a “key-leader engagement” at the administrative headquarters of Nangarhar province’s Shirzad district.”
“We are still collecting information and the cause or motive behind the attack is unknown at this time.”
The Taliban has not claimed the responsibility behind the attack which killed two US soldiers and one Afghan soldier. Senior officials were investigating if it was an insider attack – often known as “green-on-blue” attacks that have been a regular feature of the conflict in Afghanistan.
Afghan defense ministry formed an investigation team headed by the country’s chief of army staff to investigate the attack.
The ministry said the attack will not have negative impacts on the friendship and spirit of cooperation and between the Afghan National Security Forces and the U.S. military.
The attacker was killed in the clash, said Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in Nangarhar.
Mr. Qaderi said the Islamist fighter had infiltrated the Afghan security forces involved in the joint operation but did not say which group the militant belonged to.
In recent years, there have been fewer of these incidents as the Americans have taken more of a supporting role, with Afghan forces leading the fight.
Though last year, the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Austin Miller, survived a shootout by an Afghan infiltrator who was wearing an Afghan military uniform, another top Afghan general walking next to him was killed.
