Briton killed in Afghan shooting (From South Wales Guardian)

Briton killed in Afghan shooting

10:51am Monday 23rd July 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

A British civilian contractor was one of three people shot dead on Sunday by a person wearing an Afghan national security force uniform.

The gunman, who was killed during the incident in western Afghanistan, turned his weapon against the US-led military coalition, according to a Nato spokesman. He said the matter is being investigated but disclosed few other details.

No more information about the civilians who died has been released.

Five Nato service members have been killed in roadside bombings over the past two days.

Afghan security forces or militants dressed in their uniforms have been killing a rising number of coalition forces, but they have not been specifically targeting contractors working for the coalition, the Associated Press said.

So far this year, 26 foreign troops have been killed in this type of attack, it said.

All five of the Nato service members were killed in roadside bomb attacks - one on Saturday in the east, and two in the east and two in the south on Sunday. The deaths bring the number of foreign forces killed so far this year to a total of 247.

Nato also said that it killed a number of insurgents with an airstrike in the Mohammad Agha district of eastern Logar province but would not provide further details.

Afghan officials also reported that four civilians died on Sunday when hundreds of shells and rockets were fired from neighbouring Pakistan, the news agency said.

The artillery shells hit homes along frontier areas from which insurgents have in the past staged cross-border attacks, according to the report.