A German brigadier general was among 15 NATO troops wounded in a so-called "insider attack" by a terrorist. -AP An additional NATO soldier died in the attack. It happened at Camp Qargha near Kabul. The base is responsible for the training of Afghan officers. The attack was the latest in a spree of "insider attacks" where the terrorist wears the uniform of the Afghan Army. Some of these attacks were due to Taliban infiltration and some were due to disillusioned soldiers. A similar attack occurred Paktia province where a guard attacked NATO troops but failed to injure anyone before being killed.
My Comment:
I'm embarrassed to admit it but I didn't realize that Germany still had troops in Afghanistan. That's a big mistake to make because they are one of our major allies there. They deployed around 5000 troops and have lost some 57 soldiers and police in the conflict. The article did not say who the other wounded and one dead soldier belonged to, but my thoughts are with their families.
As for the insider attack tactic, it appears to be working for the Taliban. Injuring a brigadier isn't something that happens very often, so this was a victory for the Taliban. These attacks must have a devastating effect on morale for NATO and Afghan troops. How could you trust the people you are working with if you are afraid they are going to blow you away? Expect these kinds of atrocities to continue as NATO draws down their forces.
EDIT: AP is now reporting that the NATO soldier that was killed was an American. The majority of the wounded were Americans as well.
EDIT #2: CNN is reporting that the soldier that died was a U.S. General. Other victims were also of high rank. This is almost unprecedented. It is very rare for soldiers this highly ranked to die in battle. This is a massive propaganda coup for the Taliban and a major defeat for U.S. interests in Afghanistan. I don't know how you defend against this kind of attack either.
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