Two US service members killed in insider attack in Afghanistan

Two U.S. servicemembers were killed on Saturday when someone wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire on them with a machine gun, according to multiple reports.

Six other U.S. servicemembers were injured in the apparent insider attack in Nangahar province, officials said.

“Current reports indicate an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined U.S. and Afghan force with a machine gun,” Colonel Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said a statement, according to Reuters.

“We are still collecting information,” he said, adding that the motive behind the attack is unknown.

Officials also said that U.S. and Afghan military personnel were targeted while conducting an operation, The Associated Press noted.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called the deaths “tragic,” adding in a tweet Sunday morning that the servicemembers were from the Army 7th Special Forces Group based in Crestview, Fla.

Tragic news that heroic patriots of the Army 7th Special Forces Group based in Crestview, FL lost their lives in Afghanistan in what appears to be an insider attack on an Afghan base. We are all heartbroken for their families, friends & loved ones.

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 9, 2020

The gunman was killed, a member of Nangarhar’s provincial council told the AP.

An unidentified Afghan defense ministry official also said the shooter was an Afghan soldier who had earlier argued with the U.S. forces, the news service reported, adding that the official said the gunman was not a Taliban infiltrator.

Officials said Afghan troops were also killed in the incident, but details on those casualties were not released.

During a surprise Thanksgiving visit to U.S. forces in Afghanistan, President Trump announced the resumption of peace talks with the Taliban after negotiations broke down earlier last year.

–This report was updated at 11:33 a.m.