Afghan elite soldier kills US special forces mentor

Kandahar: An elite Afghan soldier shot dead an American mentor and his translator at a US base, Afghan officials said yesterday, in the first rogue shooting blamed on the country's new and closely vetted special forces.

The soldier opened fire at an American military base on Wednesday in Shah Wali Kot district, in volatile Kandahar province, said General Abdul Hamid, the commander of Afghan army forces in the Taliban's southern heartland.

"The shooting took place after a verbal conflict where the Afghan special forces soldier opened fire and killed an American special forces member and his translator," Hamid told Reuters.

At least 18 foreign soldiers have died this year in the so-called green on blue shootings, which are an increasing worry for both Nato and Afghan leaders, eroding trust as Western combat troops look to leave the country in 2014.

The latest shooting will be of grave concern to both sides, at it is the first involving a member of Afghanistan's new special forces.