Two American soldiers have been killed in an apparent insider attack in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar.
The NATO military alliance’s so-called Resolute Support (RS) mission announced the deaths in a statement on Tuesday, without giving further details.
A US official, who asked not to be named, said initial information showed it was a “green-on-blue” attack (or an insider attack) — in which Afghan service members or militants disguised in Afghan uniforms fire on US or coalition troops, Reuters reported.
The source said the incident happened in Kandahar Province, stressing that the initial information could change.
The deaths bring the number of US forces killed in Afghanistan this month to three and at least 11 in 2019.
The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001. While the invasion ended the Taliban’s rule in the country, it has failed to eliminate the militant group. The Daesh terrorist group has also emerged in the Asian country more recently.
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The attacks come as the United States continues to negotiate a peace deal with the leading perpetrator of attacks across Afghanistan, the Taliban militant group, which targets mostly Afghan civilians and security forces.
Meanwhile, a United Nations (UN) report released on Tuesday said that at least 3,812 Afghan civilians were killed or injured in the first half of 2019 in the war in Afghanistan.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in its report that most of the civilian casualties were caused by ground raids and fighting, followed by bombings by militant groups and aerial attacks.
According to the report, Taliban and Daesh militants killed 531 Afghans and injured 1,437 in the above mentioned period.
The UNAMA said that the militant groups deliberately targeted 985 civilians, including government officials, tribal elders, aid workers, and religious scholars.
The casualties attributed to the pro-government troops increased in the six months to June 30 by 31% compared to the same period in 2018 as 717 Afghans were killed and 680 others wounded between January 1 and June 30.
The report added that 519 civilian casualties were caused by airstrikes, 150 of whom were children.
“Parties to the conflict may give differing explanations for recent trends, each designed to justify their own military tactics,” said UNAMA human rights chief Richard Bennett.
“The fact remains that only a determined effort to avoid civilian harm, not just by abiding by international humanitarian law but also by reducing the intensity of the fighting, will decrease the suffering of civilian Afghans,” he added.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
