Afghan teen kills U.S. soldier while GI played with children

A teenage Afghan boy fatally stabbed a U.S. soldier who was playing with local children, military spokespeople said Monday.

The killing, which occurred Wednesday, is not being classified as an insider attack because the teen, believed to be about 16 years old, is not a uniformed member of Afghanistan’s military or security forces, The Associated Press reports.

Army Sgt. Michael C. Cable, 26, was on guard duty near the border with Pakistan and, after securing the area, began playing with a group of children. The teenager approached him from behind and stabbed him in the neck with a knife, Afghan police official Zalmai Kahn said, as cited by AP. The boy subsequently escaped to Pakistan, AP says.

Sgt. Cable, along with other American troops, was guarding U.S. dignitaries who were at a swearing-in ceremony for a local police head, AP says.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Majahid said the teen joined the group after he stabbed the soldier, AP reports.