Policeman kills 11 of his own in southern Afghanistan

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - A policeman killed 11 of his own colleagues in restive Helmand province Monday night in yet another attack that the media refers to as “green-on-green”, a spokesman for the regional governor told Anadolu Agency Tuesday.

The attacker managed to escape after the incident and later joined the ranks of the Afghan Taliban.

According to Umar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor, the attack took place in the provincial capital city, Lashkargah.

The attacker was recently transferred to Lashkargah from the province’s Musa Qala district which had briefly fallen to the Taliban last year.

“That is all we know so far, we are conducting further investigations,” Zwak added.

Green-on-green attacks refer to those in which an Afghan policeman or soldier opens fire on another Afghan security personnel.

Earlier this month, an Afghan policeman killed five of his comrades in Helmand’s neighboring Kandahar district while a similar incident took the lives of two other policemen in northern Badghes province on Feb. 2.

Meanwhile, Green-on-blue attacks refer to Afghan security personnel killing foreign troops in the country.

The last green-on-blue attack took place in the capital Kabul in October last year when two Americans were shot dead by an Afghan. According to the Long War Journal blog, at least 150 international troops have been killed and 187 other wounded in such types of attacks since 2008.