KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven American soldiers were shot and wounded by an Afghan commando on Saturday, the second such insider attack in a week, according to Afghan officials.

The attack took place in the Afghan National Army 209th Corps headquarters at Camp Shaheen, in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Col. Abdul Qahar Aram, spokesman for the 209th Corps, said an Afghan soldier had opened fire, wounding foreign soldiers in the garrison area of the camp. He said reports claiming the soldiers had been killed were false.

The United States military would confirm only that American soldiers were wounded in an insider attack that occurred there at about 2 p.m., and that an Afghan soldier had been killed and another wounded. The United States military also denied that any of its soldiers had been killed.

Another Corps spokesman, Maj. Nasratullah Jamshidi, said the attacker, an Afghan commando, had been shot at the scene and died on his way to a hospital. </s> Seven U.S. soldiers wounded in insider attack at Afghan base: official

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) – At least one Afghan was killed and seven American soldiers were wounded in an “insider attack” at a base in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, a U.S. military official said. </s> MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least one Afghan was killed and seven American soldiers were wounded in an “insider attack” at a base in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, a U.S. military official said.

A spokesman for the U.S. military command in Kabul said earlier comments by an Afghan official that Americans had been killed were incorrect.

But he confirmed that seven soldiers had been evacuated after being wounded in the incident at Camp Shaheen, the headquarters of the Afghan army’s 209th Corps in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

At least one Afghan soldier was killed and another wounded, the U.S. official said. He could not immediately say if the suspected shooter was among the dead or wounded.

Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the Afghan army’s 209th Corps, announced earlier that an Afghan soldier had shot and killed four U.S. soldiers inside the base.

In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said an Afghan commando loyal to the militant group had opened fire on foreign “invaders”, killing four and wounding four others.

The German military heads the multinational advising mission based in Mazar-i-Sharif. A spokeswoman for the German forces at the joint missions command in Potsdam said: “According to what we know right now, no Germans were affected.”

Three U.S. soldiers were killed and a fourth wounded on June 11 when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

In April, scores of Afghan soldiers were killed when militants breached security at Camp Shaheen, detonating explosives and shooting hundreds at a mosque and dining hall on the base. The attackers were disguised in Afghan army uniforms.

Coalition countries, led by the United States, are considering sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan to help advise and assist Afghan forces struggling against Taliban and Islamic State militants.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday he would present options on Afghanistan to President Donald Trump “very soon”. </s> At least three US troops were wounded on Saturday when an Afghan soldier opened fire at them at a military base in northern Afghanistan, the defence ministry said, in an apparent insider attack. The so-called “green-on-blue” attack at Camp Shaheen close to Mazar-i-Sharif city is the latest in a string of incidents where Afghan soldiers have turned their weapons on international forces training them.

It comes as the United States is expected to send more troops into the lengthy conflict at a time when the Taliban are ramping up their campaign against the Western-backed government. “Initial information shows three US soldiers visiting the base were wounded,” ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told AFP, adding that the attacker had been gunned down. US-led NATO forces confirmed that American soldiers had been wounded in “an incident” at Camp Shaheen, without specifying a number. “At this time we can confirm there are no US or NATO Resolute Support fatalities,” the international coalition said in a brief statement.

“US soldiers have been wounded. One Afghan soldier was killed and one was wounded in the incident.” Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO’s long years fighting alongside Afghan forces. Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> Three US soldiers wounded in Afghan ‘insider attack’

At least three US troops were wounded Saturday when an Afghan soldier opened fire at them at a military base in northern Afghanistan, the defence ministry said, in an apparent insider attack.

The so-called “green-on-blue” attack at Camp Shaheen close to Mazar-i-Sharif city is the latest in a string of incidents where Afghan soldiers have turned their weapons on international forces training them.

It comes as the United States is expected to send more troops into the lengthy conflict at a time when the Taliban are ramping up their campaign against the Western-backed government.

“Initial information shows three US soldiers visiting the base were wounded,” ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told AFP, adding that the attacker had been gunned down.

US-led NATO forces confirmed that American soldiers had been wounded in “an incident” at Camp Shaheen, without specifying a number.

“At this time we can confirm there are no US or NATO Resolute Support fatalities,” the international coalition said in a brief statement.

“US soldiers have been wounded. One Afghan soldier was killed and one was wounded in the incident.”

Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO’s long years fighting alongside Afghan forces.

Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots.

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Also, Like us on facebook </s> An Afghan soldier opened fire on American soldiers on Saturday, injuring at least seven, the US military said. It was the second such insider attack by an Afghan soldier in the past week.

Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the 209th Army corps, confirmed that an insider attack took place at a camp in Mazar-e Sharif. Mr Araam said the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker.

General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry, also confirmed the attack.

The Resolute Support mission announced on its Twitter feed that seven US service members were wounded but said there were no US fatalities. It said one Afghan soldier was killed and one wounded.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the attack in a statement sent to the media but he did not claim Taliban responsibility.

Last week three US soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province. In that case Mujahid claimed that the shooter was a Taliban loyalist who infiltrated the army specifically to seek out opportunities to attack foreign soldiers.

It is unclear whether the Afghan soldier killed was the attacker. There is a lengthy history of "green on blue" insider attacks in Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of several Nato soldiers since the US invasion in 2001. </s> Seven American troops were wounded today in an insider attack by an Afghan soldier at a military base, as the US appears set to boost its troop presence in the country.

The shootout at Camp Shaheen near northern Mazar-i-Sharif city is the second "green-on-blue" attack -- where Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on international forces assisting them -- reported this week.

It comes as Washington is expected to announce an increase in the US military deployment in the country to bolster Afghan forces who are struggling to contain the Taliban's nationwide offensive.

"Seven US service members wounded, evacuated for treatment," US-led NATO forces said in a brief statement on Twitter. "Insider attack Camp Shaheen, Mazar-e Sharif under investigation."

The military coalition had earlier said that one Afghan soldier had been killed and another wounded in the incident.

The Taliban in a statement did not say if they were directly behind the attack, only crediting a "patriotic Afghan soldier" for the assault.

The latest attack comes just a week after an Afghan commando killed three American troops and wounded another in eastern Nangarhar province, in an insider attack that was claimed by the Taliban.

Camp Shaheen is the headquarters of the Afghan army's 209th Corps where around 150 Afghan soldiers and policemen were killed in April when it was stormed by Taliban fighters dressed in military uniforms and armed with suicide vests.

Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO's long years fighting alongside Afghan forces. Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots.

Analysts say such attacks are expected to increase this year as US troops engage with the Afghan military to double the size of its special forces, considered to be effective in the fight against insurgents.

The latest insider attack comes at a time of intensified violence and when the United States is actively considering sending more troops to Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that he will present a new US military strategy for Afghanistan, along with adjusted troop numbers, in the coming weeks to President Donald Trump.

American military commanders in Afghanistan have requested thousands of additional boots on the ground to boost the NATO troop presence in the country.

US troops in Afghanistan currently number about 8,400, with another 5,000 from NATO allies, who mainly serve in a training and advisory capacity.

The Afghan conflict is the longest in American history, with US-led forces at war there since 2001, after the ousting of the Taliban regime. </s> (KABUL) — An Afghan soldier opened fire on American soldiers on Saturday, injuring at least seven, the U.S. military said. It was the second such insider attack by an Afghan soldier in the past week.

Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the 209th Army corps, confirmed that an insider attack took place at a camp in Mazar-e Sharif. Araam said the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker.

Gen. Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, also confirmed the attack.

The Resolute Support mission announced on its Twitter feed that seven U.S. service members were wounded but said there were no U.S. fatalities. It said one Afghan soldier was killed and one wounded.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the attack in a statement sent to the media. But he did not claim Taliban responsibility.

Last week three U.S. soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province. In that case Mujahid claimed that the shooter was a Taliban loyalist who infiltrated the army specifically to seek out opportunities to attack foreign soldiers. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption Afghan troops keep watch at the base near Mazar-e-Sharif after the attack

More than 100 Afghan soldiers were killed or wounded in a Taliban attack on an army base on Friday, the defence ministry has confirmed.

Fighting lasted for several hours near the city of Mazar-e Sharif in northern Balkh province.

Insurgents targeted those leaving Friday prayers at the base's mosque and others in a canteen, the army said.

The Taliban said in a statement they had carried out the attack, using suicide bombers to breach defences.

Earlier estimates put the death toll as high as 134, but a statement from the defence ministry on Saturday gave the figure of more than 100 killed or injured.

It is one of the deadliest tolls in a Taliban attack on the Afghan army.

At least 10 Taliban militants were also killed in the fighting and one attacker was detained.

The Afghan government has declared Sunday a day of national mourning.

Separately, the US military command in Afghanistan said that Taliban commander Quari Tayib had been killed in a coalition air strike.

It said that Tayib was "once known as the shadow Taliban governor of Takhar province" in the north-east, and was killed along with eight other Taliban fighters in the strike on 17 April.

The Taliban fighters who attacked the base wore army uniforms and drove through checkpoints to launch the raid, a military spokesman said.

One injured soldier, Mohammad Hussain, said: "When I came out of the mosque, three people with army uniforms and an army vehicle started shooting at us. Of course, they had some infiltrators inside the base, otherwise they would never have been able to enter.

"One of them sitting inside a vehicle had set up a machine gun at the car's window and shot everyone in his way."

President Ashraf Ghani flew to the area on Saturday and visited wounded troops.

US military spokesman John Thomas described the attack as a "significant" strike, but he praised Afghan commandos for bringing the "atrocity to an end".

Relatives' anger: Syed Anwar, BBC News, Kabul

Image caption Jan Agah from Jowzjan province lost a nephew in the attack

There are conflicting reports about casualties. The defence ministry confirmed more than 100 soldiers had been "killed or injured" but a security official in Mazar-e Sharif told the BBC that more than 100 had died, including a top military commander.

Relatives of some of the soldiers gathered outside the base to take possession of coffins. They all questioned the security measures in place at the main entrance.

"If strict inspections had taken place, the attackers would not have passed the first gate," said Jan Agah, from Jowzjan province. One of his nephews serving at the base died and another was injured in the attack.

The raid shows the Taliban can plan and carry out complex attacks. The militants said four of the attackers had served as soldiers for a long time and had knowledge of every corner of the base.

The base at Mazar-e-Sharif is home to the Afghan National Army's 209th Corps, responsible for providing security to most of northern Afghanistan, including Kunduz province - which has seen heavy recent fighting.

Several German and other foreign soldiers are reported to be garrisoned there.

Last month about 50 people were reported to have died when militants believed to be from the group known as Islamic State targeted patients and staff at a military hospital in Kabul with guns, grenades and knives.

Also in March the Taliban said they had captured the crucial south Afghan district of Sangin after a year-long battle.
At least one Afghan is killed and seven American soldiers wounded in an "insider attack" at Camp Shaheen, in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. An earlier report that Americans had been killed is incorrect. The Taliban claims responsibility.