The Associated Press is reporting today that another “green-on-blue” attack by our Afghan “allies” has killed two more soldiers:
An Afghan soldier turned his weapon on international allies in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, killing two soldiers, the NATO military coalition said.
The killings were the latest in a surge of insider attacks by Afghan forces against international troops, with 12 killed by their supposed allies this month alone. The first 10 were identified as Americans.
The morning attack happened in the eastern Laghman province, said Lt. Col. Hagen Messer of Germany, a spokesman for the alliance. NATO later said in a statement that international troops returned fire and killed the attacker. Afghan officials are investigating the shooting. The majority of troops operating in the Laghman area are American.
The soldiers were travelling in a convoy through Alingar district along with Afghan troops when one of the vehicles struck a roadside bomb, said Noor Rahman, a spokesman for the Laghman police. When the troops dismounted their vehicles, a dispute broke out and one of the Afghans fired on his coalition allies. The NATO forces then called for air support, and helicopters fired on the Afghan soldiers, Rahman said.
The commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John R. Allen, wrote in an oped published in the Washington Post on Friday that the U.S. should not be “derailed” by such attacks from amongst our Afghan “allies”.
That followed his comments earlier last week where he blamed the fasting associated with the month-long Islamic celebration of Ramadan and the heat in Afghanistan for the surge in such attacks this month (video).
An assessment by Bill Roggio at the Long War Journal on Aug. 17th stated that 13% of all ISAF deaths in 2012 can be attributed to green-on-blue attacks:
Green-on-blue attacks have spiked since the beginning of 2011, with nearly 75 percent occurring since the start of last year. Of the 101 ISAF soldiers believed to have been killed by Afghan security personnel since May 2007, a total of 39, or nearly 40 percent, were killed this year. Last year, 35 ISAF soldiers were killed in green-on-blue attacks. These attacks have taken place in all areas in Afghanistan, not just in the south and east.
So far this year, green-on-blue attacks have caused 13 percent of the ISAF deaths; 299 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan this year, according to iCasualties.org.
Roggio adds that these deaths are part of an escalating trend that has spiked in August:
Over the past 11 days, there have been seven green-on-blue attacks against ISAF troops, counting today’s attack. In the preceding five attacks, seven US soldiers have been killed. On Aug. 7, two Afghan soldiers killed a US soldier in the east before defecting to the Taliban. On Aug. 9, US troops killed an Afghan soldier who was attempting to gun them down at a training center in Laghman province. On Aug. 10, six US soldiers were killed in two separate attacks in Garmsir and Sangin districts in Helmand province. And on Aug. 13, a policeman wounded two US soldiersin Nangarhar.
While Gen. Allen may not want us to get “derailed” by observing the escalation of attacks against our own soldiers and Marines and the mounting body count from such attacks, perhaps it’s time for our elected officials to ask some hard questions of our military leadership and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta about what their plans are for addressing the senseless murder of our troops as more than 1 in every 10 deaths of our soldiers are now being killed by our supposed Afghan “allies”.
And with the RNC Convention taking place this week, it would be appropriate if GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney would tell the country what exactly he would do in Afghanistan as Commander-in-Chief should he be elected in November beyond continuing the failed policies of the Obama administration.
The media’s silence is defeaning and shameful. My heart goes out to all military families. Does the Pentagon have any plans to address these murders? Any change in rules of engagement? Friend or Foe, we no longer have any idea, our troops and their families deserve better from Our Country.
Gee, Ramadan’s over now. What excuse will they come up with this time?
Yes, Indy, our troops and their families do deserve better! So do the American people!
So the commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John R. Allen, is saying that the fasting from Ramadan and the heat made the Afghani “soldiers” cranky. Oh? I guess he wouldn’t want to hurt their feelings by explaining that their barbaric, bloodthirsty religion has anything to do with it. The last Democrat President that had any cojones, Harry Truman, would have landed in the desert by now and ripped the stars off Allen’s shoulders. Where’s Stan McChrystal when we need him?
I agree with Diana West, it’s time to FIRE GENERAL ALLEN!
But, on a lighter note, remember those GIs that pissed on the enemy body (a sniper) and burned those contraband Korans? Yup, reportedly they’re getting their career ending non-judicial punishment today. Welcome to the theater of the absurd. Let’s play the game for a moment and pretend we’re quantum GI Joe, a drafted American soldier jumping back and forth in time and alternate universes. Gee, I wonder, could I have gotten out of the Anzio landing if I had offended the Nazis and the American civilian command by burning Mein Kemp when first coming through the Casserine Pass? Instead of shooting myself in the foot “accidentally,” you think I could have gotten out of the new gender integrated Normandy invasion by groping PFC Susie rotten crotch during the practice beach landings? When I got my “Greetings from the people” draft notice for the new don’t ask don’t tell army in 1967, it sure was great to get out of the draft by checking the homophobic box when having flat feet failed. Sure was nice the best and the brightest ended the draft before the “war on terrorism” started, otherwise I would have had to show up for induction wearing my “Allah Sucks” Tee-shirt on the front and “Gays Suck” on the back. I don’t know what the best and the brightest are going to do when it comes to the next “unjust war.” Forgetaboutit I guess. Apparently in the best of all possible worlds of the volunteer army you can quit at any time and go home, no questions asked?