A gunman wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire near a coalition base in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing two Americans and injuring three others, military officials say. The attacker was killed when soldiers returned fire.
The incident happened at about 11 a.m. local time on Wednesday when the unidentified assailant opened fire in the vicinity of a coalition base. It is unclear whether the assailant was an Afghan soldier or was only wearing the uniform to carry out the attack.
A brief statement from U.S. Forces Afghanistan confirmed that two Americans were killed, including one service member and one civilian. Three other Americans were injured in the attack, including one service member and two civilians. All three were said to be in stable condition.
“Anytime we lose a member of our team, it is deeply painful,” said General John Nicholson, the commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and the Resolute Support Mission (RS), which was formerly known as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
“Our sympathies go out to the families, loved ones, and the units of those involved in this incident,” Nicholson added in a statement. “RS and USFOR-A will continue to pursue our Train, Advise, and Assist mission to help our partners create a better Afghanistan
Nearly 13,000 coalition service members are stationed in Afghanistan, including 7,000 Americans and nearly 1,000 from Germany.
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