Another casualty of the Afghan jihad that our political elites increasingly refuse to admit even exists. “Elite Afghan soldier kills U.S. special forces mentor,” by Ismail Sameem for Reuters, April 27:
KANDAHAR (Reuters) – An elite Afghan soldier shot dead an American mentor and his translator at a U.S. base, Afghan officials said on Friday, in the first rogue shooting blamed on the country’s new and closely vetted special forces.
The soldier opened fire at an American military base on Wednesday in Shah Wali Kot district, in volatile Kandahar province, said General Abdul Hamid, the commander of Afghan army forces in the Taliban’s southern heartland.
“The shooting took place after a verbal conflict where the Afghan special forces soldier opened fire and killed an American special forces member and his translator,” Hamid told Reuters.
At least 18 foreign soldiers have died this year in 11 incidents of so-called green on blue shootings, which are an increasing worry for both NATO and Afghan commanders, eroding trust as Western combat troops look to leave the country in 2014.
The latest shooting will be of grave concern to both sides, at it is the first involving a member of Afghanistan’s new special forces, which undergo rigorous vetting as part of their selection into the country’s top anti-insurgent force….
“Rigorous vetting” that doubtless includes absolutely nothing about the subject’s views of Islam and jihad.
Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone text message sent to journalists, saying the Afghan soldier was “an insurgent infiltrator called Zakerullah”….
But NATO commanders argue the growing number of shootings is in proportion to the growing size of Afghan security forces towards an eventual 352,000 target.
“When we analyze the problem, it occurs for a number of reasons, and not as many as you would expect show any evidence of insurgent initiation, or insurgent backing,” a senior NATO official who could not be identified said last week.
“Quite often people resolve their personal problems by resorting to the use of a weapon. It’s more of a cultural thing here.”
No, it’s more of a jihad thing there. But I know you “senior NATO officials” aren’t allowed to think about that.