Shooting Incident in Kabul Leaves 9 Dead

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2011 – Eight International Security Assistance Force service members and an ISAF civilian died today following a shooting incident in Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul, military officials reported.

Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan, a Pentagon spokesman, said ISAF has confirmed that the service members and civilian were Americans. Because next of kin had not yet been notified, he would not provide the service affiliations of the service members who were killed.

The shooter reportedly was an Afghan air force officer who was killed during the incident, Lapan said.

A written statement released by ISAF headquarters in Kabul said the command joins Afghan President Hamid Karzai in condemning the attack.

In the statement, Army Lt. Gen. William V. Caldwell IV, commander of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, said the deaths of nine coalition trainers are “a tragic loss.”

“On behalf of those here at NTM-A, and all of ISAF, I wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of the trainers killed today,” Caldwell said.

"President Karzai has directed an investigation into this morning’s events," Navy Rear Adm. Hal Pittman, senior ISAF spokesman, said in the statement. "ISAF is already working closely with our Afghan partners to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.”

In other news from Afghanistan:

Coalition forces killed at least 10 armed insurgents during operations yesterday along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.

Troops used artillery fire after receiving reports that a group of armed insurgents planned to attack their patrol. Several insurgents were killed in the engagement, officials said.

The same patrol later came under attack by another group of armed insurgents. Troops returned fire, killing several more enemy fighters. An air weapons team providing overwatch security for the patrol launched a third engagement after seeing three more armed insurgents maneuvering into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Two were injured and one was wounded, officials said.

In other operations yesterday:

-- Afghan and coalition forces in Khost province’s Sabari district captured several suspected insurgents, including the senior Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin leader responsible for all operations in the province.

-- Security forces detained a Taliban leader and several of his suspected associates allegedly responsible for launching attacks on troops in Kandahar province’s Dand district.

-- In Helmand province’s Sangin district, troops captured three suspected insurgents, including a Taliban weapons trafficker responsible for supplying enemy fighters with money, explosives and munitions.

-- Forces detained two suspected insurgents, including a Taliban leader responsible for coordinating and carrying out attacks on security forces in Nangarhar province’s Sherzad district.

-- Security forces found several weapons and drug stockpiles throughout Afghanistan. The operations resulted in seizure of 1 million Afghan afghanis, which is the equivalent of $23,264, more than 4,000 pounds of marijuana, 2,250 assault-rifle rounds, 90 hand grenades, 60 rocket-propelled grenade boosters, 13 82 mm mortar shells, two automatic machine guns, an assault rifle and antiaircraft ammunitions.

(Lisa Daniel of American Forces Press Service contributed to this report.)