KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven soldiers from the American-led military coalition were killed on Saturday: two were shot in an insider attack, and five were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, according to statements from the International Security Assistance force and Afghan officials.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the insider attack in Farah Province in western Afghanistan.
The gunman in Farah was an Afghan National Army soldier who turned his weapon on his trainers after an argument on Saturday, said Lt. Col. Hajji Dil Jan, the deputy police chief of Farah Province. He said the gunman was killed by the Americans.
The international military said it would not confirm the nationality of the soldiers who were killed because the next of kin had not yet been notified of their death. But most of the troops in Farah are Americans.
The explosion that killed five American soldiers took place in the Maiwand district in western Kandahar Province, said Jawed Faisal, a spokesman for the governor of Kandahar. The soldiers were driving toward villages from central Maiwand when the attack occurred, he said.
Capt. Luca Carniel, a public affairs official for the American-led coalition in Kabul, confirmed that all five of the soldiers were Americans, according to The Associated Press.
Sharifullah Sahak contributed reporting.
