WASHINGTON:The top US commander in Afghanistan says one possible explanation for a spike in killings of American troops by their Afghan partners is the strain of fasting during the just-concluded month of Ramadan.
The statement was made Thursday by Marine General John R. Allen during a question-and-answer session with reporters at the Defence Department.
Allen said the reasons for “insider attacks” by Afghan soldiers and police officers on their US and coalition partners are not fully understood. But he believes Ramadan probably is one reason, since the fasting period came during the heat of the summer and at the peak of the fighting season against the Taliban.
Allen said the Taliban also have played a direct role in some cases by impersonating Afghan troops.
He said insider attacks by Afghans against US and coalition troops won’t disrupt US strategy and won’t require pulling back US troops.
“My initial belief is we should not pull back in our contact with the Afghans,” Allen told reporters. “We perhaps need to be more watchful.”
