British Soldier Dies In Afghanistan ‘Insider Attack’

A British soldier has been shot dead by a suspected rogue member of the Afghan National Army, defence officials say.

The soldier, from 28 Engineer Regiment, attached to 21 Engineer Regiment, died on Monday at Patrol Base Hazrat, in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand.

The gunman, who the Taliban claim was acting for them, first opened fire on Afghan troops and then British soldiers, before being killed.

The male soldier’s next of kin have been informed.

The attack comes as President Hamid Karzai is due in the US for a visit seen as key to the future of the American presence in Afghanistan.

Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Major Laurence Roche, said: “It is my painful duty to report the death of a soldier from 28 Engineer Regiment, who was shot and killed by a suspected member of the Afghan National Army”.

“This is an extremely sad day for the Corps of Royal Engineers and everyone serving with Task Force Helmand. Our thoughts are with the soldier’s family and friends at this time.”

The BBC’s Quentin Sommerville said a number of other people had been injured in the attack, which is thought to have been triggered by an argument between Afghan National Army soldiers.

Shortly after details of the incident emerged, the Taliban released a statement saying they were behind the shooting, but they often wrongly claim such attacks, he said.

There has been a sharp rise in so-called insider attacks against local forces and Nato troops in Afghanistan. In 2012, more than 60 Nato service personnel, and a quarter of the British troops who died in Helmand, were killed in such attacks.

All six of the British troops killed during the latest six-month tour of duty have died this way.

A total of 439 UK service members have lost their lives in Afghanistan since operations began there in October 2001.

Military commanders refer to such rogue attacks as “green-on-blue” – green for Afghan forces and blue for the Nato coalition.

‘Shared vision’

President Karzai is expected to arrive in the US on Tuesday for a three-day visit, which will include a meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday.

It will be their first face-to-face talks since the US presidential elections.

Correspondents say relations between the two countries have been more fractious than usual in recent months.

Mr Karzai wants US troops out of Afghan towns and villages. Some 30,000 foreign soldiers left Afghanistan last year, and most of the remainder are expected to pull out by the end of 2014.

Our correspondent says the US president is likely to discuss the size of the force that remains, and whether they are there to fight the Taliban or shift their primary focus to tackling al-Qaeda.

Mr Karzai’s visit comes days after a drone attack that killed Pakistan militant leader Mullah Nazir, who was accused of sending fighters to Afghanistan to support the Taliban.

Ahead of the trip, the White House issued a statement saying Mr Obama “looks forward to… discussing our continued transition in Afghanistan, and our shared vision of an enduring partnership” between the two countries.

Mr Karzai is expected to provide a request for future requirements for the Afghan military such as heavy weaponry, an improved air force and medical support.

Our correspondent says the US spent almost $120bn (£74bn; 91bn euros) in Afghanistan in 2011, a figure that diplomats in Kabul say will be increasingly difficult to justify because of economic problems at home and extensive corruption within Afghanistan.

Meanwhile Mr Karzai has held back from signing a long-term binding security agreement with the US, amid fears that Afghan sovereignty is being undermined.

He is unwilling to grant US soldiers immunity from prosecution and is unhappy that Afghans are still being held in US-run military prisons on Afghan soil, our correspondent adds.

Nato forces are committed to training Afghan security forces before foreign combat troops pull out.

BBC