3 US Soldiers Killed In Attack By Afghan Solider: Reports

Three U.S. soldiers have been killed and a fourth has been injured in an attack by an Afghan soldier and the Taliban has claimed responsibility, according to multiple news reports.

The Department of Defense confirmed that the three soldiers were killed but did not offer further information. The wounded soldier was evacuated for medical treatment, the DoD said in a news release.

U.S. officials told NBC News that the Afghan solider who opened fire on the U.S. soldiers was killed in return fire. The incident occurred during a joint training between the U.S. and Afghan military in eastern Afghanistan.

In the district where the attack occurred, U.S. special forces had been fighting alongside Afghan troops against the Islamic State and the Taliban, Reuters reported. U.S. officials are aware of the attack and President Donald Trump has been briefed.

A spokesman for the Taliban said the attacker was a Taliban infiltrator, according to the New York Times.

The Times notes that insider attacks by Afghan soldiers on U.S. or other foreign troops have become rare.

Patch will update this report.

Image Credit: Photo credit: David B. Gleason via Flickr Commons