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NATO soldiers killed

May 12, 2012

Men wearing Afghan police uniforms have shot dead two NATO troops in Afghanistan, a military spokesman has said. A senior Afghan source has contradicted that report, saying the gunmen were members of the police force.

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Silhouette of troops in Afghanistan
Image: veneratio/Fotolia

Two NATO service men have been killed in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) reported on Saturday.

The spokesman said the troops were shot dead in Helmand province by two insurgents dressed as members of the Afghan police force. Fareed Ahmad, a spokesman for the Helmand provincial police, denied that report, however, stating that the gunmen had been active members of the police force for a year.

"We are aware of the claims that the shooters were AUP [Afghan Uniformed Police], however, operational reports indicate these were insurgents dressed in AUP uniforms and not actual AUP," ISAF said.

"The event is still being assessed and additional information may be released as appropriate," the spokesman said. The coalition added that one attacker was killed and the second was being pursued.

If the provincial police report is confirmed, it wil be the latest in a series of incidents in which Afghan forces have turned their weapons against NATO soldiers. This year alone, 22 NATO soldiers have been killed in at least 16 such attacks.

ccp/sej(AP, AFP)