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3 US Defense Contractors Shot Dead at Kabul Airport


Kabul
Kabul

Three U.S. defense contractors helping train Afghan air force personnel were gunned down at the Kabul airport Thursday in what military sources say was an "insider attack."

Details on the killings are scarce.

The new international "Resolute Support" mission involving a small contingent of around 12,000 mostly U.S. troops started on January 1 and is to focus on training Afghanistan's national security force.Despite the introduction of new measures, including a requirement that coalition forces be armed at all times and stricter vetting procedures for Afghan security members, incidents continue to occur sporadically.

One of the worst attacks took place last August, killing U.S. Major General Harold Greene, who became the most senior American military official to die in action overseas since the war in Vietnam.

Also Thursday, a suicide bomber attacked a funeral in eastern Afghanistan. Sixteen people were killed and dozens wounded.

A local official said the attack took place in Mehtarlam, in Laghman province, during the funeral for a police commander and three others killed in a roadside bombing earlier Thursday.

No one claimed responsibility for either attack.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters.

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