Eight foreign soldiers of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan were killed Wednesday in a shooting involving an Air Force pilot Afghan in Kabul airport, the military alliance said in one incident of this kind with more victims fatal. A contractor, whose identity was unknown, also died in the shooting, said the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by NATO, in a statement.
The shooting occurred after a series of attacks by Afghan security forces against its NATO instructors perpetrated by soldiers or insurgents dressed in uniform who have managed to infiltrate their ranks. Such incidents underscore the challenge facing U.S. forces and NATO as they prepare for the gradual transfer of security responsibilities to begin in July and end with the withdrawal of all combat troops by end of 2014 .
The ISAF issued a brief statement saying that eight soldiers and one contractor were killed in the gunfight at the airport. He gave no details about the incident or the nationality of the victims. The Afghan Defense Ministry did not provide further details of the incident except that the shooting occurred after a dispute between the pilot and foreign soldiers.
An ISAF spokesman said: "We can confirm that the incident occurred in the complex Afghan Air Force in the airport and that it was guns. We do not know exactly who started." Various Afghan media said a veteran driver had opened fire on soldiers of the ISAF. The Taleban issued a statement saying that one of its fighters, called Azizulah, dressed in military fatigues, carried out the attack after gaining entry into the complex.
"He fired his weapon against many foreign and Afghan soldiers who were in a hangar, killing nine soldiers and five Afghan soldiers overseas," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The Taliban usually solely responsible for attacks carried out by others and exaggerate the numbers of victims, but his fighters have gained access to Afghan and foreign bases to launch the raids in the past.
On April 18, an insurgent wearing Afghan army uniforms opened fire inside the Ministry of Defence in central Kabul, killing two workers and injuring seven others. Earlier this month, an Afghan border police fired, killing two foreign soldiers on a training mission in the province of Faryab in the north. 
The shooting occurred after a series of attacks by Afghan security forces against its NATO instructors perpetrated by soldiers or insurgents dressed in uniform who have managed to infiltrate their ranks. Such incidents underscore the challenge facing U.S. forces and NATO as they prepare for the gradual transfer of security responsibilities to begin in July and end with the withdrawal of all combat troops by end of 2014 .
The ISAF issued a brief statement saying that eight soldiers and one contractor were killed in the gunfight at the airport. He gave no details about the incident or the nationality of the victims. The Afghan Defense Ministry did not provide further details of the incident except that the shooting occurred after a dispute between the pilot and foreign soldiers.
An ISAF spokesman said: "We can confirm that the incident occurred in the complex Afghan Air Force in the airport and that it was guns. We do not know exactly who started." Various Afghan media said a veteran driver had opened fire on soldiers of the ISAF. The Taleban issued a statement saying that one of its fighters, called Azizulah, dressed in military fatigues, carried out the attack after gaining entry into the complex.
"He fired his weapon against many foreign and Afghan soldiers who were in a hangar, killing nine soldiers and five Afghan soldiers overseas," said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. The Taliban usually solely responsible for attacks carried out by others and exaggerate the numbers of victims, but his fighters have gained access to Afghan and foreign bases to launch the raids in the past.
On April 18, an insurgent wearing Afghan army uniforms opened fire inside the Ministry of Defence in central Kabul, killing two workers and injuring seven others. Earlier this month, an Afghan border police fired, killing two foreign soldiers on a training mission in the province of Faryab in the north.
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