The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says he is "mad as hell" about attacks on Western troops by Afghan soldiers and police, known as "insider attacks."
General John Allen said in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, scheduled to air late Sunday, "we are willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we are not willing to be murdered for it."
Allen said that just as homemade bombs had become the signature weapon of the Iraq war, he believed that in Afghanistan, "the signature attack that we are beginning to see is going to be the insider attack."
A Taliban leader told CBS the insider attacks are part of the militant group's new military strategy. He said the Taliban has its people planted in the Afghan police and the army.
More than 50 international troops have been killed this year in a series of insider attacks. A similar number of Afghan security force members have been killed in such attacks.
Coalition officials originally had reported an insider attack late Saturday was responsible for the death of a U.S. soldier, foreign contractor, and three Afghan soldiers. But NATO has issued a statement saying the incident possibly involved insurgent fire and coalition and Afghan officials are still investigating.