2 NATO service members killed in Afghanistan

Thursday, August 04, 2011 – According to NATO-led coalition forces officials, a man in an Afghan police uniform on Thursday shot dead a NATO service member in the east of the country, the second such killing in less than a month.

In a separate incident, another NATO service member died following an insurgent attack on Thursday in eastern Afghanistan, the volatile second front of the nearly decade-long war in this country.

Most of the fighting takes place in southern Afghanistan.

NATO did not provide details or nationalities of the two deceased, pending notification of their relatives.

According to international coalition in Afghanistan, the first killing occurred “when an individual wearing an Afghan National Police uniform turned his weapon against”

NATO said it was assessing the incident.

It did not say if the man was a police officer or someone disguised as one.

At least 40 coalition troops have been killed in more than 20 shootings by members of the Afghan security forces or assailants wearing Afghan uniforms since March 2009.

In about half the cases, attackers impersonated Afghan policemen or soldiers, coalition officials have said. Afghan uniforms are easily obtained at stores in the capital of Kabul, despite efforts to crack down on such illegal sales. The other half of the shootings have been attributed to combat stress or unknown reasons.

According to Afghan Interior Ministry officials, Afghan security forces raided an unlicensed factory in Kabul that was making uniforms and other military accessories.

Kabul police denied reports that it was manufacturing uniforms for the Taliban, but did say the products were being sold at bazaars around the city.

Thursday’s deaths raised the number of foreign troops killed this year to 330. Last year, 404 died in the first seven months of the year.