Nine Americans killed in Kabul shooting rampage
Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
KABUL:
At least eight US troops and a contractor were killed in a shooting rampage by a former pilot of the Afghan air force at a training centre at a Kabul air base on Wednesday, Afghan media reported.
According to Afghan TV TOLONews, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the pilot their agent in the uniform of the Afghan National Army (ANA).
The shooting that came two days after hundreds of prisoners –– mostly Taliban insurgents –– escaped in a brazen jailbreak in Kandahar province, has raised serious concerns about the ANA ability to take control of security when foreign combat operations end in 2014.
Afghan defence ministry spokesman Muhammad Zahir Azimi said the shootings happened at around 11 am when “an argument took place between an (Afghan) air force officer and foreign colleagues”.
Col Muhammed Bahadur Raeeskhail, the Afghan air force’s media relations chief said, “There is a conference hall and every morning, Afghan and international staff gather there for a briefing and then they proceed to their daily work. Today at the briefing, this incident happened.”
Raeeskhail identified the 45-year-old gunman as a former pilot re-recruited to the military a few months ago, who had been working as an air force administrator.
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the shooting and the death toll. “Eight service members and one civilian were killed in the attack. All US,” Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters in Washington.
A Taliban spokesperson claimed that the attack was carried out by his group and the gunman involved was a Taliban agent in the ANA uniform, TOLOnews reported.
“[A Taliban fighter went into] the recruiting department where a meeting was underway between the Nato invaders and the local minions,” Zabihullah Mujahid said. “[He then] opened fire on those participating in the meeting [and] subsequently, nine Nato invaders and including some top-level officers along with five of the local puppets were killed in the firing.”
Mujahid said the gunman was killed during his shooting spree when he ran out of ammunition. “While upon using up his ammo, the brave mujahid laid down his life when he was shot and martyred in the enemy’s subsequent fire.”
But the brother of the ex-pilot, Dr Hassan Sahebi, told TOLOnews that his brother, Ahmad Gul, 48, suffered from a mental stress recently because he had faced some economic problem and had even sold his house.
“My brother honestly served his country for about 20 years and was never connected to the Taliban or al Qaeda,” he added.
An Afghan official endorsed Sahebi’s claim. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the gunman was from a well-respected Kabul family, and that the shooting was the result of a disagreement, not terrorism.
There is a history of Afghan troops attacking foreign soldiers who have been mentoring them ahead of limited foreign troop withdrawals due to start in July. Last November, six US troops were shot dead during a training session in eastern Afghanistan, apparently by a member of the Afghan border police.
The deaths represent the highest number of foreign forces killed in a single incident since September, when nine coalition troops died in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan.
According to the icasualties.org website, 2,433 coalition troops – more than half of them Americans – have been killed in the Afghan operation codenamed Enduring Freedom since 2001, with 2010 being the deadliest year when 711 were killed.
In other violence, two Afghan policemen were killed in a landmine blast in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, local officials said.
“The mine blast hit a police vehicle in the Shagay area of Kunar province along the border with Pakistan,” provincial police chief Khalilullah Ziayi told TOLOnews.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident but usually the Taliban attack Afghan forces with homemade bombs, called improvised explosive devices (IED). According to a recent Afghan interior ministry report at least 79 Afghan policemen have been killed in the past one month in such attacks.
The surge in violence comes as US forces are preparing to begin pulling out from Afghanistan from July, this year according to a plan announced by President Barack Obama.
The latest incident came as US media reported that President Obama was to nominate his war commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, to succeed Leon Panetta at the helm of the CIA. ABC and NBC television reported that Petraeus will be replaced in Afghanistan by Lt-Gen John Allen, the current deputy head of US Central Command.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2011.
At least eight US troops and a contractor were killed in a shooting rampage by a former pilot of the Afghan air force at a training centre at a Kabul air base on Wednesday, Afghan media reported.
According to Afghan TV TOLONews, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the pilot their agent in the uniform of the Afghan National Army (ANA).
The shooting that came two days after hundreds of prisoners –– mostly Taliban insurgents –– escaped in a brazen jailbreak in Kandahar province, has raised serious concerns about the ANA ability to take control of security when foreign combat operations end in 2014.
Afghan defence ministry spokesman Muhammad Zahir Azimi said the shootings happened at around 11 am when “an argument took place between an (Afghan) air force officer and foreign colleagues”.
Col Muhammed Bahadur Raeeskhail, the Afghan air force’s media relations chief said, “There is a conference hall and every morning, Afghan and international staff gather there for a briefing and then they proceed to their daily work. Today at the briefing, this incident happened.”
Raeeskhail identified the 45-year-old gunman as a former pilot re-recruited to the military a few months ago, who had been working as an air force administrator.
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed the shooting and the death toll. “Eight service members and one civilian were killed in the attack. All US,” Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters in Washington.
A Taliban spokesperson claimed that the attack was carried out by his group and the gunman involved was a Taliban agent in the ANA uniform, TOLOnews reported.
“[A Taliban fighter went into] the recruiting department where a meeting was underway between the Nato invaders and the local minions,” Zabihullah Mujahid said. “[He then] opened fire on those participating in the meeting [and] subsequently, nine Nato invaders and including some top-level officers along with five of the local puppets were killed in the firing.”
Mujahid said the gunman was killed during his shooting spree when he ran out of ammunition. “While upon using up his ammo, the brave mujahid laid down his life when he was shot and martyred in the enemy’s subsequent fire.”
But the brother of the ex-pilot, Dr Hassan Sahebi, told TOLOnews that his brother, Ahmad Gul, 48, suffered from a mental stress recently because he had faced some economic problem and had even sold his house.
“My brother honestly served his country for about 20 years and was never connected to the Taliban or al Qaeda,” he added.
An Afghan official endorsed Sahebi’s claim. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said the gunman was from a well-respected Kabul family, and that the shooting was the result of a disagreement, not terrorism.
There is a history of Afghan troops attacking foreign soldiers who have been mentoring them ahead of limited foreign troop withdrawals due to start in July. Last November, six US troops were shot dead during a training session in eastern Afghanistan, apparently by a member of the Afghan border police.
The deaths represent the highest number of foreign forces killed in a single incident since September, when nine coalition troops died in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan.
According to the icasualties.org website, 2,433 coalition troops – more than half of them Americans – have been killed in the Afghan operation codenamed Enduring Freedom since 2001, with 2010 being the deadliest year when 711 were killed.
In other violence, two Afghan policemen were killed in a landmine blast in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, local officials said.
“The mine blast hit a police vehicle in the Shagay area of Kunar province along the border with Pakistan,” provincial police chief Khalilullah Ziayi told TOLOnews.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident but usually the Taliban attack Afghan forces with homemade bombs, called improvised explosive devices (IED). According to a recent Afghan interior ministry report at least 79 Afghan policemen have been killed in the past one month in such attacks.
The surge in violence comes as US forces are preparing to begin pulling out from Afghanistan from July, this year according to a plan announced by President Barack Obama.
The latest incident came as US media reported that President Obama was to nominate his war commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, to succeed Leon Panetta at the helm of the CIA. ABC and NBC television reported that Petraeus will be replaced in Afghanistan by Lt-Gen John Allen, the current deputy head of US Central Command.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2011.