Afghan 'Allies' Increasingly Killing US Troops

Afghan troops are killing US troops in numbers that “may be unprecedented between 'allies' in modern history,” according to a new classified military report that warns the killings are becoming a “rapidly growing systemic threat” that could undermine the war effort. Based on interviews with 600 Afghan troops, the report, which was viewed by the Wall Street Journal, chides US commanders for ignoring a growing “crisis of trust” between Afghan and US forces.

Since 2007, Afghan troops have killed at least 57 coalition troops. Some of those attacks were perpetrated by Taliban infiltrators, but the study found that many of the Afghan troops hold overwhelmingly negative views of the Americans, calling them “violent, reckless … profane infidel bullies.” US troops similarly panned Afghan troops as “cowardly, incompetent … pot-smoking, treacherous, and murderous radicals.” Coalition officials say they’re aware of the killings, but condemn the study, complaining that it “suffered from generalizations, narrow sample sets, unprofessional rhetoric, and sensationalism.” (More Afghanistan stories.)