The rise of (un)friendly fire in Afghanistan

U.S. troops and Afghan National Army soldiers conduct a joint security patrol in Kandalay village in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, in this August 2011 file photo.

/ ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images

The antagonism and violence between U.S. and other Western forces and the Afghan soldiers with whom they fight and train appears to be rising, at a time when America is trying to extricate itself from the nation's conflict.

On Friday four French soldiers were shot and killed by a gunman wearing an Afghan Army uniform in Tagab District, an area viewed as dominated by insurgent forces. In the past month, one U.S. soldier and two French Foreign Legion members were killed in separate attacks attributed to Afghan security forces, according to NATO statements.

The New York Times reports that, according to a classified coalition report, at least 58 coalition service members were killed in 26 separate attacks by Afghan troops and police between May 2007 and May 2011. The number represents 6 percent of all hostile NATO deaths in that four-year period.

The majority of attacks have occurred since October 2009.

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The classified report cited by The Times states, "Lethal altercations are clearly not rare or isolated; they reflect a rapidly growing systemic homicide threat (a magnitude of which may be unprecedented between 'allies' in modern military history)," and called official NATO statements disputing such threats as "disingenuous, if not profoundly intellectually dishonest."

The recent release online of video featuring U.S. Marines desecrating the corpses of Taliban fighters has only inflamed the contempt that exists between Afghan and Western forces.

Ex-leatherneck: Marines in video "went rogue"

"The sense of hatred is growing rapidly," one Afghan Army colonel told The Times' Matthew Rosenberg. The officer described Afghan troops as "thieves, liars and drug addicts," and Americans as "rude, arrogant bullies who use foul language."

For more from the Times report click here.

[aldinrussell]

This would happen here in America, If a Foreign Country were to come and over-throw us. Just imagine a scenario of gung-ho Marines, teaching the Afghans how to wipe out a terror cell...after a successful mission the Marines are Hooting and Hollering, while the Afghans felt that the over-kill was not necessary or rejoicing was un-called for........
We need to better train our troops to show respect and restraint, especially in the presence of locals. Strategies should be put in place (ie have the Afghans surround a compound and starve them into surrender), so that we show some dignity to 'their' land...The war is over, we just want the Taliban/Terrorist remnants out of future acts of violence to ALL.

[catwoman1952]

Knew this would happen as soon as we started to pull out. Time to get out completely and let them kill each other. We still haven't learned after all these years that you cannot fight the religious zealots that inhabit that part of the world.

[rubytart]

oh yeah - blame all this on those 4 marine kids... riiiggghhhttt... The REASON this has happened dates back - with NO coincidence to obama taking office and forcing the rules of engagement to change... forcing our troops to live with the afghan troops and train them... with OUR troops not allowed to have weapons when going to meetings where THEIR troops are armed. BTW - the afghan military thinks their own citizens stink and are backgwards morons... they have less respect for the villagers than our military does (city versus bumpkin mentality). Those afghan troops also have zero respect for karzai, and are in large part taliban who have infilitrate the ranks. but leave it to the liberal rag sheets to make this out to be some fault of our guys - and not our idiot administration thinking our miltiary are "abassadors" that can win the hearts and minds of people that hate each other more than they hate us.

BTW - the 4 killed in this one were FRENCH... these afghanis (and all muslims) hate ALL western world people... It doesn't take a tinkle or swear word to turn them. Though they sure do like getting all the american, french and UK tobacco, junk food and other stuff off these troops.

[slatep]

Not only do American troops have to constantly be on guard againt the Taliban; now they have to be worried about Afghan soldiers.

This is ridiculous.

Get our troops out of Afghanistan now.!

[Blackandtandog]

Time for us to exit. They don't want us and frankly I for one are sick of them. Let them continue their violent ways. If the talaban takes over, well it will be the afghan people who will suffer, not us.

[NotPartyControlled]

Hatred in a war torn country. Now there's surprise.

[Rodeo_Joe]

translation - 911 was a Saudi run operation of zealot Saudis.
Osama is dead. Wake up and smell the coffee.

[bobnjersey]

[The officer described Afghan troops as "thieves, liars and drug addicts," and Americans as "rude, arrogant bullies who use foul language."]
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sounds like the afghans are winning the scoundrel award here ... especially when you add in murderers.

i assume all this behavior is justifiable via one religion or another ... grounded in 'freedom' ... 'liberty' ... or 'defense of dogma' ... no?