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Subscribe to RSSAfghan security forces turned their guns on U.S. and NATO troops, killing four American soldiers and two British troops. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Most joint U.S.-Afghan military operations have been suspended following what authorities believe was an insider attack Sunday that left four American soldiers dead, officials told NBC News.
“We’re to the point now where we can’t trust these people,” a senior military official said. So far this year, 51 NATO troops have been killed in these so-called blue-on-green attacks. Sunday's attack came a day after two British soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan policeman, Reuters reported.
Four NATO soldiers killed in Afghan 'insider' attack
"It's had a major impact on our ability to conduct combat operations with them, and we're going to have to back off to a certain degree," the official said.
The suspensions of the joint operations are indefinite – according to one official, they “could last three days or three months.”
The escalating violence — including a NATO airstrike that killed eight Afghan women and girls gathering firewood — is straining the military partnership between Kabul and NATO as the U.S. begins to withdraw thousands of troops sent three years ago to rout the Taliban from southern strongholds.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the airstrike; the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force later extended its regrets over those deaths.
The U.S. training mission and joint combat patrols are "critical" to the U.S. plan to withdraw all combat forces by as early as the middle of next year and almost all U.S. military from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
In May, President Barack Obama announced that he and Karzai signed an agreement that would see the removal of 23,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the summer's end.
“As our coalition agreed, by the end of 2014 the Afghans will be fully responsible for the security of their country," Obama said at the time. But the president was clear that the U.S. would stay engaged into the future.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- In Niger, child marriage on rise due to hunger
- Obama: US has 'profound respect for people of all faiths'
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Save a US soldiers life and save her and his family an unnecessary loss ....buy an electric car or help donate an electric car....tell all politicians and big US oil and OPEC...ENOUGH
Pull our troops, advisors and MONEY out and let them all kill each other. We need to confiscate their nuclear weapons.
Make a final deal with Pakistan so we can pull out quick and let them do the babysitting of Afghanistan - Give them several drones to fly over Afghan areas and bomb away at terrorist camps...and at the same time we give India drones or ask them to let our troops work at their northern bases nearest Pakistan to use drones to patrol Pakistan to make sure they do their job patrolling Afghanistan-
I like working with trustworthy nations first and India is the only one in the region we can trust.
Here we are again two months before the election and it is
like déjà view all over again, about this time in 2008, the economy was
starting in to a free fall. Banks started failing, companies started lying off
by the thousands, and the stock market was crashing, all under a republican
president and democratic ruled congress, house and senate. Obama took office
with the same ruling democrats who where in office when this country failed,
the same democrats who passed Obama care before reading it, the same ones who
bailed out the banks and GM the minute Obama was sworn in as president. The same
democrats who sued a state for enforcing illegal immigrant laws, demarcates did
not stop these wars they turned them into re-build and training missions all
paid for with American money and loans. The democrats sent money to other
countries governments in the name of humanity for earthquakes and droughts
money the victims never got, our government could have spent that money in this
country to send food, water, medical supplies to those countries in hopes the victims
would get what they need and to help the American economy. Obama made many
promises in 2008, and the funny thing is only the ones the democratic party
have been pushing for for decades and the ones that will make them look good
have passed, Obama care, bin laden, alternative energy, open trade with more
countries, bushes lower tax law and extended unemployment benefits. Obama’s gay
rights, pulling out of the Middle East, this country’s infrastructure jobs, and
the economy are back in his campaigning because nothing was past. Are the democrats
who have been in charge before Obama became president saving their own asses,
are they the ones running this country and Obama is their fall guy if things do
not work out, something to think about. I say déjà view because of the uprising
in the Middle East and the killing of Americans, is this coincidence or was it planned
are our government parties past doing anything to stay in control or to be elected,
something to think about, right now both parties are neck and neck this could be
in both parties favor. Americans want out of the wars an uprising could mean
the democrats will not get us out, or it could mean many will not elect a new
president during a new war. The problem is did either party do this and witch
one, if Obama wins the same democrats who have been in charge since 2006 will
have two more years of control will Obama get his plans past this time around. If
Romney wins, we will have a split government for two years pre-haps longer
depending on what happens during those two years. I do not agree with
everything Romney wants to do if he wins I hope a split government will keep
him from passing some of his plans. On the other hand, I do not trust the democrats
who have been in charge for the last six years, the ones who did nothing to
ward off this recession, stop the wars, create jobs and boost the economy. Once
they passed their decades old bills and bailed out their friends, they did
nothing, they did not support Obama and they fought and blocked the republicans
every step of the way down grating this countries rating. These democrats are
the ones who are destroying this country and Obama’s presidency do we go
another two or six years with these people if Obama wins, or do we clean house
now and let Obama run again in four years. What would be best for this country?
I dont know why they dont get our people the hell out of there,and bomb the bastards off the face of the earth.
Enough with it all Being Gerogre's fault-did he send us there to begin with yes? Did he sign saying we would keep some of our troops there till 2024? Nope that would be your beloved current president.
My heart goes out to the fmaily of those who lost thier boys over their this Sunday. My family is honored to have my brother who has serve dmultiple tours and unlike our media driven society I know of all the good things our troop are doing over there to help innocent people. God bless and thank you all for your service.