UPDATE 2 - Afghan army officer kills 6 NATO troops at Kabul airport

[News_Editor]

UPDATE 2 - Afghan army officer kills 6 NATO troops at Kabul airport

2011-04-27 17:26:58 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- An Afghan military officer opened fire at an Afghan air force base in the Afghan capital on late Wednesday morning, officials said, killing six coalition service members.

The shooting happened at around 10.25 a.m. local time at an Afghan air force base near Kabul International Airport, apparently after some sort of argument between the gunman and others at the base.

"There was some talking and speaking about something" before fighting began, an Afghan Ministry of Defense official said, adding that more information would be released after an investigation.

Lt. Col. David Simons, a spokesman for the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan, confirmed there had been an incident but provided few other details. "We can confirm that there were casualties and that an Afghan National Army and coalition force quick-reaction force responded," he said.

A statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that six coalition service members were killed in the shooting, but gave no details of their nationalities. "It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities," it said.

Coalition casualties in Afghanistan have been rising sharply in recent years, with a total coalition death toll of 709 in 2010, making it the deadliest year for international troops since the war began in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

So far this year, more than 145 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Most troops are killed in the country's south, which is plagued by IED attacks on troops and civilians.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-27