Afghan policeman killed in firefight with NATO troops

The incident erupted on Tuesday when the police officer opened fire on a Nato delegation at the entrance of Afghanistan’s ministry of commerce and industries.

An Afghan police officer was killed during a clash with Nato forces in the capital Kabul, the country’s interior ministry said on Wednesday.

An Afghan security personnel stands guard near the site of an attack in Kabul. (AFP File Photo)

The incident erupted on Tuesday when the police officer opened fire on a Nato delegation at the entrance of Afghanistan’s ministry of commerce and industries, the ministry said in statement.

The shooter was wounded when Nato soldiers returned fire, according to Nato spokesperson Michael Lawhorn. No Nato forces were injured during the incident.

The assailant later died after succumbing to injuries at a local hospital.

“The interior ministry has ordered Kabul police to investigate the incident,” the ministry’s statement added.

So-called “green-on-blue” attacks, when Afghan soldiers or police turn their guns on international troops or colleagues, have been a major problem during Nato’s long years fighting alongside local forces.

The attacks have bred fierce mistrust between Afghan and foreign troops even though the number of such incidents has declined in recent years.

Nato formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and pulled out the bulk of its troops, however, a 13,000-strong residual force remains in the country to assist with training and counter-terrorism operations.

Last month, 10 Afghan police officers were killed after being drugged and shot by a rogue colleague at an outpost in southern Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province.