An American service member was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan when an Afghan soldier opened fire on coalition troops, the Pentagon said.
The attack came just after a meeting in Jalalabad between Afghan provincial leaders and a U.S. Embassy official in an Afghan compound, said Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.
Col. Warren also said that “several” U.S. service members were wounded and evacuated to medical facilities. He could not provide any information on the severity of their wounds.
The incident is currently under investigation, Col. Warren said.
American forces immediately returned fire and killed the shooter. Two Afghan soldiers were also wounded, CBS News reported.
Afghan troops attacking coalition forces were common as U.S. forces transitioned power to Afghan security, but have decreased in recent years. There has only been one other shooting this year when an Afghan troop killed three American contractors in January.
Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was killed in a high-profile attack by Afghan troops in August 2014. He was the highest ranking American to be killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
In 2012 — the worst year for coalition forces being attacked by the troops they were trying to train — there were 48 incidents, according to CBS.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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