2 US servicemen killed, 6 hurt, in attack in eastern Afghanistan

KABUL/WASHINGTON－Two US service members were killed and six wounded after an individual in an Afghan uniform began firing on them with a machine gun in eastern Afghanistan, the US military and two senior Afghan officials said on Sunday. In an ensuing exchange of fire on Saturday between Afghan and US soldiers there were deaths on both sides but casualty details on the Afghan side were unavailable.

The firefight broke out after a combined US and Afghan force completed a "key-leader engagement" at the administrative headquarters of Nangarhar province's Shirzad district, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan said.

"Current reports indicate an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined US and Afghan force with a machine gun," Colonel Sonny Leggett said.

"We are still collecting information, and the cause or motive behind the attack is unknown."

The Taliban did not claim responsibility for the attack and senior officials were investigating if it was an insider attack often known as "green-on-blue" attacks that have been a regular feature of the conflict in Afghanistan.

The individual who initially opened fire was among those killed in the clash, said Sohrab Qaderi, a provincial council member in Nangarhar.

Qaderi said the shooter had infiltrated himself among dozens of members of the Afghan security forces involved in the joint-operation, but did not say which group he belonged to.

There have been fewer of these incidents in recent years as the US has taken more of a supporting role, with Afghan forces leading the fight.

However, last year the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Austin Miller, survived a shooting by a Taliban infiltrator in an Afghan military uniform. A top Afghan general walking next to him was killed.

The latest shooting comes at a delicate time, with US and Taliban negotiators pushing for a peace deal.

Nangarhar, which shares a long and porous border with neighboring Pakistan, had long served as stronghold for the Islamic State in Afghanistan, though the Taliban also controls parts of the province.

About 14,000 US troops are stationed in Afghanistan as part of the US-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces and to carry out counter-terrorism operations.

US President Donald Trump has long complained about the US military presence in Afghanistan, which started in 2001, calling it ridiculous.

Last week Trump said in his State of the Union address that his administration is working to end the war in Afghanistan.