KABUL: A US service member was killed and another wounded in an apparent insider attack in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement.
The service member, who has not been identified, was the sixth American to be killed in Afghanistan this year.
The incident came two months after a member of a US army training unit was shot dead by an Afghan soldier in the southern province of Uruzgan.
“The sacrifice of our service member, who volunteered for a mission to Afghanistan to protect his country, is a tragic loss for all who knew and all who will now never know him,” said Gen. Scott Miller, who assumed command of NATO forces in Afghanistan on Sunday.
Insider attacks, often known as “green on blue” attacks in which Afghan service members or attackers wearing Afghan uniforms fire on US or coalition troops, have been a regular feature of the conflict in Afghanistan, although their frequency has diminished in recent years.
Coalition forces have also tightened security and added extra force protection measures including special “Guardian Angel” units to accompany training units.
The Resolute Support statement said the wounded service member was in a stable condition but gave no further details, saying their name would be withheld until after next of kin were notified.
US service member killed in Afghanistan
US service member killed in Afghanistan
- The service member, who has not been identified, was the sixth American to be killed in Afghanistan this year
- The incident came two months after a member of a US army training unit was shot dead by an Afghan soldier
Scores killed in militant attacks in northwest Nigeria
- The attacks came days after the state hosted the UNESCO-listed Argungu fishing festival
- The Lakurawa group has been blamed for many of the attacks on communities
LAGOS: Militant fighters have killed scores of people and destroyed seven villages in raids in northwestern Nigeria’s Kebbi state, the police said Thursday.
Members of the Lakurawa group attacked villages in the Bui district of Arewa northern region at around 1:15 p.m. (1215 GMT) Wednesday, said Kebbi state police spokesman Bashir Usman.
A security report seen by AFP said the militants had killed “more than 30 villagers.”
Usman said: “Scores of people were killed as residents from Mamunu, Awasaka, Tungan Tsoho, Makangara, Kanzo, Gorun Naidal, and Dan Mai Ago mobilized to resist the attackers.”
The attackers had also rustled “some cattle” in the raids, he added. Police, soldiers and local militia were immediately sent to the area.
The attacks came days after the state hosted the UNESCO-listed Argungu fishing festival, about 60 kilometers (38 miles) from the Arewa region, where the attacks took place.
The Lakurawa group has been blamed for many of the attacks on communities in the northern part of the state and in neighboring Sokoto state.
Its members stage deadly attacks from their forest base, rustling livestock and imposing “taxes” on locals.
The Nigerian government said the Christmas day air strikes by the US military in Sokoto had targeted members of the group and “bandit” gangs.
Some researchers have linked the group to the Islamic State Sahel Province, which is active mainly in neighboring Niger and Mali, though others remain doubtful.
The activities of the group have compounded Nigeria’s insecurity.
The West African nation is grappling with a more than 16-year militant insurgency in the northeast, as well as a farmer-herder conflict in the north central region.
They also have to contend with a violent secessionist agitation in the southeast, and kidnappings for ransom plague the northwest.
Nigeria is now looking to the United States for technical and training support for its troops fighting the militants after a resurgence of violence strained relationships between the two countries.
The US Africa Command said 200 troops were expected to join the deployment overall.
US President Donald Trump has said the violence there amounts to the “persecution” of Christians — a framing long used by the US religious and political right wing.
Nigeria’s government and many independent experts say Christians and Muslims alike are the victims of the country’s security crises.
