Summary A person in an Afghan military uniform turned his weapon on troops at a joint base.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A police officer opened fire on U.S. and Afghan forces inside a police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, sparking a firefight that killed two US troops and two other Afghan policemen.
The attacker was also killed in the shootout, officials said.
The incident in Wardak province was the latest in a series of insider attacks against coalition and Afghan forces that have threatened to undermine their alliance at a time when they need to work increasingly close together in order to hand over responsibility as planned next year.
A person in an Afghan military uniform turned his weapon on troops at a joint base in the restive east of the country, coalition forces said on Monday.
The attack took place as a deadline expired for U.S. special forces to quit the eastern province of Wardak, after Afghan President Hamid Karzai accused them and Afghans working for them of overseeing torture and killings in the area.
An Afghan interior ministry official said the attack took place in Jalriz district of Wardak. It was not immediately clear if it was directed at U.S. special forces.
US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who left Afghanistan early on Monday after a three-day visit, raised the sensitive issue of Wardak when he met Karzai.
U.S. forces have denied involvement in any abuses in Wardak.
ISAF said in a statement the person turned his weapon on a group of Afghan and coalition service members, killing several ANSF and coalition service members and wounding several others.
Incidents involving Afghan security forces turning their weapons on the NATO-led forces who train them and fight Taliban insurgents have increased sharply over the past year.
The insider, or green-on-blue, attacks have seriously eroded trust between coalition and Afghan forces, who are under mounting pressure to contain the insurgency before most foreign troops leave by the end of next year.
