Afghan soldier shoots US & Italian troops
Probe to establish if it was attack or "friendly fire"
An Afghan soldier opened fire on foreign troops wounding one American and two Italian soldiers in western Afghanistan on Tuesday, military officials said.
A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed the U.S. soldier was wounded, but few other details were available.
"I can confirm that an incident occurred today in western Afghanistan. I confirm an Afghan soldier opened fire on Italian and U.S. forces," he said.
ISAF said the incident was under investigation.
An Italian military spokesman said the attack took place at 11:30 a.m. (0700 GMT) during a supply operation in Bala Murghab in Badghis province.
The two Italian soldiers suffered only minor injuries and had already resumed duties, the spokesman said.
"The soldier who opened fire was also wounded during the response from ISAF soldiers and the Afghan army who were at the scene. He was arrested immediately and is now under observation in the camp hospital," the military said.
I can confirm that an incident occurred today in western Afghanistan. I confirm an Afghan soldier opened fire on Italian and U.S. forcesNATO spokesman
"Friendly fire"
An investigation is under way to establish exactly what happened in the incident, the statement said.
It was unclear if it was an accident, "friendly fire," or a deliberate attack and no other details were immediately available.
Last month, a rogue Afghan policeman shot dead five British soldiers in southern Afghanistan, an attack later claimed by the Taliban.
The incident raised questions about training programs for the Afghan police and army, which are struggling to meet massive government-set quotas and have been accused of dropping standards to achieve the numbers.
Italy is among more than 40 NATO nations to deploy soldiers in Afghanistan to fight alongside the Afghan army against the Taliban, who are waging an intensifying insurgency.
Around 113,000 foreign soldiers under U.S. and NATO command in Afghanistan are due to be supplemented by another 36,800 during 2010.
Italy this month announced plans to add 1,200 troops, which would bring its Afghan contingent to 3,800, making it one of NATO's largest.
Six Italian soldiers, along with 10 Afghan civilians, were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in September, one of the deadliest attacks on NATO troops in the more than eight years of the war.
The soldier who opened fire was also wounded during the response from ISAF soldiers and the Afghan army who were at the scene. He was arrested immediately and is now under observation in the camp hospitalMilitary
More troops
On Tuesday Macedonia, which is pushing to join NATO, said it would send an additional 80 soldiers to Afghanistan in February, bringing its total contingent to 243.
Macedonia already has 163 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-run International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the country's defense ministry said.
In other violence, dozens of militants stormed a small town on a key supply route for foreign forces in the north, briefly capturing the township and sparking a gunfight which left six rebels and an Afghan soldier dead on Monday.
"The Taliban attacked and very briefly captured the town of Baghlan Kohna," Afghan army officer Colonel Abdul Wakil Ihsas told AFP.
"We pushed them back very quickly," he said, adding that the fighting started Monday evening and lasted for several hours.
The Taliban attacked and very briefly captured the town of Baghlan KohnaAfghan army officer