By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan
A joint investigation into the Kabul military academy shooting, which led to the killing of U.S Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, has begun with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force authorities hinting the shooter was an Afghan regular soldier.
Gen. Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense tweeted yesterday that a "terrorist in ANA uniform" fired at the academy personnel at 12.00 noon and was killed in return fire from Afghan soldiers.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the U.S. Army Chief General Ray Odierno told journalists they believed the attacker was a regular soldier.
"We have no indication that he wasn't anything other than a member of the Afghan forces," Odierno told journalists in Washington.
The killing of the U.S. general is seen as a major setback to the allied forces that are in the process of shifting their focus from security responsibilities to training the nascent Afghan Army.
Most of the foreign forces are scheduled to end their combat missions in 2014 and take on assistance and training jobs.
Afghan security analyst Atiqullah Amarkhail has expressed fear that the shooting incident could leave lasting stains on the mutual relations between the allied and Afghan forces. "Naturally, the level of confidence will fall. This is not an ordinary in-field shooting by a newly recruited soldier... the incident has taken place in well guarded military academy!" Amarkhail stated.
Gen. Greene is said to be the highest ranking U.S. soldier killed in the Afghan war and the first U.S army general to be killed in an overseas conflict since the Vietnam War. At least 15 Afghan and NATO soldiers were wounded in the incident including a German brigadier general.
Tuesday's shooting was the first so-called insider attack in Afghanistan in months. The number of these so called green-on-blue attacks have dropped sharply since 2012, when dozens occurred. However, they remain a persistent threat for coalition troops serving alongside Afghan forces.
Fifteen international soldiers have been killed this year in the so-called insider attacks, compared with a total of 62 in 2013. A total of 133 coalition soldiers have been killed so far this year.
www.aa.com.tr/en
