Apparent Afghan Insider Attack Kills NATO Service Member, Wounds Two Others

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A service member attached to the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan was killed and two others were wounded Monday in an apparent insider attack in Afghanistan, Resolute Support reported Monday.

"Initial reports indicate the attack was committed by a member of the Afghan security forces," Resolute Support said in a brief statement.

The statement did not identify the troops who were attacked or give their nationalities, but said the incident took place in Herat province in western Afghanistan near the Iranian border.

In an emailed statement, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the incident and said the attacker was a Taliban "infiltrator."

The latest incident came four days after an insider attack in southern Kandahar that killed two top Afghan security officials and wounded two Americans and a coalition contractor.

Among the wounded was Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey D. Smiley, the general in charge of the U.S. military assistance mission to the Afghan security forces in southern Afghanistan.

The attack in Kandahar forced a delay in the province for parliamentary elections which were held across the weekend in the rest of the country, despite suicide attacks in Kabul.

Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters Monday that the individual killed in Herat was not an American, but said he had no information on the nationalities of the two who were wounded, according to media outlets that were present.

In the NATO structure for Afghanistan, Herat province, bordering Iran, is part of Train Advise Assist Command-West, or TAAC West. Italy is the lead nation for TAAC-West, which also includes Badghis, Farah and Ghor provinces.

Other contributing nations for TAAC-West include the U.S., Albania, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Ukraine in training and assistance for the Afghan National Army's 207th Corps and the 606th Afghan National Police Zone, according to NATO.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

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