Gunman who killed six American troops was Afghan police officer

Gunman who killed six American troops was Afghan police officer

2010-12-03 18:59:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A gunman who killed six American troops in eastern Afghanistan on Monday has been identified as an Afghan Border Police officer, according to officials on Friday.

A joint incident assessment team, compromised of Afghan and coalition officials, determined that an Afghan Border Policeman had shot and killed six American service members at a border police outpost in the Pachir wa Agam district of Nangarhar province.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had earlier already said the gunman was wearing an Afghan Border Police uniform, but it was not immediately clear if he was an actual police officer. A joint investigation now confirmed the attacker was a police officer.

ISAF said the shooting incident occurred during artillery training at an Afghan Border Police outpost on top of a mountain. The U.S. service members, partnered with Afghan National Army soldiers, had climbed the mountain to observe the artillery impact area. The Afghan Army provided perimeter security once the group reached the remote outpost.

Following customary tea which was provided by border police manning the outpost, and a security call-out in the valley, the first projectile was fired when the impact area was clear and safe. Immediately following impact, ISAF said, the border police member opened fire.

Two U.S. soldiers returned fire, killing the border policeman.

"This is a terrible tragedy. The actions of this lone gunman are in no way a reflection of the great working relationship we enjoy with the International Security Assistance Force," said Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi, Afghan Interior Minister. "We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of the victims of this horrific incident."

The victims were identified as 36-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis of Tell City, Indiana, 29-year-old Staff. Sgt. Curtis A. Oakes of Athens, Ohio, 20-year-old Spc. Matthew W. Ramsey of Quartz Hill, California, 21-year-old Pfc. Jacob A. Gassen of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 19-year-old Pfc. Austin G. Staggs of Senoia, Georgia and 24-year-old Pvt. Buddy W. McLain of Mexico, Maine.

There have been several incidents this year in which Afghan police and Afghan soldiers have attacked ISAF troops. Most recently, early this month, a gunman believed to be an Afghan soldier killed two coalition service members in northern Afghanistan.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply this year, with around 90 fatalities in July alone, making it the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the war began on October 7, 2001 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

The council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eventually declared that the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people from scores of countries, was considered an attack on all NATO nations. The NATO-backed war aims to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the country.

So far this year, at least 668 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most of them were American and died in Afghanistan's war-torn southern region. In 2009, the total death toll stood at 521.

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