Spanish troops clash with Afghan police in west

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

By RAHIM FAIEZ
The Associated Press
Wednesday, August 25, 2010; 3:15 AM

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan police and Spanish troops clashed early Wednesday outside a base in western Afghanistan, leaving at least one policeman dead, local officials said.

The cause of the incident in western Badghis province's Qalay-I-Naw district was under investigation, said provincial government spokesman Sharafuddin Majidi.

Majid Khan Shkib, a member of the provincial council, said it wasn't clear who had fired first and there were unconfirmed reports of casualties among the Spanish troops.

Shkib said there were suspicions that Taliban fighters, who are active in the remote area, had infiltrated the local police force - an increasingly common tactic among the insurgents.

Following the officer's shooting, hundreds of area residents gathered at the gate to the Spanish camp, chanting and throwing stones before moving on to the provincial government offices, the officials said.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/25/AR2010082500511.html

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Protesters try to storm NATO base in Afghan north
25 Aug 2010 06:21:10 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For more on Afghanistan, click on )

HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Thousands of Afghans tried to storm a NATO-led base in northwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday after allegations a member of the foreign force had shot and killed an Afghan soldier, residents said.

Few details about the initial shooting were available but residents said protesters had set fire to one part of the base run by Spanish troops in Qalay-e Naw, the provincial capital of Badghis province near the border with Turkmenistan.

One protester, who identified himself only as Abdullah, said there were also casualties among the protesters after troops inside the base fired on them.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) had no information about the incident yet but was checking, a spokesman said.

more:http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SGE67O08V.htm

[maddezmom]

1. Rogue Afghan policeman shot, protesters target base

Rogue Afghan policeman shot, protesters target base 25 Aug 2010 07:36:14 GMT
Source: Reuters
(For more on Afghanistan, click on ) (Updates with governor's comments, background)

HERAT, Afghanistan, Aug 25 (Reuters) - NATO-led troops in a Spanish-run base in Afghanistan's northwest shot and killed an Afghan policeman who had opened fire on them, officials said, sparking angry protests by at least 1,000 residents.

The governor of Badghis province in the northwest said the rogue policeman was killed by foreign troops after he opened fire on the troops during a firing exercise inside the base in the provincial capital, Qalay-e Naw.

"Three foreign soldiers were wounded in the firing by the police," said governor Dilbar Jan Arman.
more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SGE67O0C9.htm

[maddezmom]

2. 2 Spanish police killed in Afghanistan

2 Spanish police killed in Afghanistan
© 2010 The Associated Press
Aug. 25, 2010, 3:06AM
Share Del.icio.usDiggTwitterYahoo! BuzzFacebookStumbleUponEmail Close MADRID — Spain's interior minister says an Afghan policeman taking part in a training course has opened fire on his instructors, killing two Spanish police officers and their interpreter.

Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba says the incident occurred Wednesday near a Spanish military base in western Badghis province.

He said Spanish police returned fire and killed the student
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7170349.html

[rabs]

3. Two Spanish Civil Guard officers and their interpreter were killed

A Spanish captain and second lieutenant and their interpretor, an Iranian with Spanish nationality, were shot to death by the Afghan police officer before he was killed. The Spanish officers were training Afghan police at the time.

Since 2003, 92 Spanish soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.

(Info from El Pais newspaper of Madrid this morning.)

Dos guardias civiles españoles, un capitán y un alférez, además de su intérprete, nacionalizado español, han muerto hoy cerca de la base de Qala-i-Naw, en la provincia de Badghis, al ser tiroteados por un policía afgano al que estaban dando una clase de formación, según ha informado el ministro del Interior, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba. Al parecer, el alumno se ha vuelto contra los instructores y ha matado a los agentes españoles, un capitán y un alférez, y al intérprete. Luego, los soldados españoles han repelido la agresión y han abatido al agresor.


http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/Mueren/guardias/civiles/espanoles/tiroteados/alumno/clase/formacion/elpepuesp/20100825elpepunac_1/Tes

[Lars77]

4. Rogue Afghan policeman shot, protesters target base

Source: Reuters

HERAT Afghanistan (Reuters) - NATO-led troops in a Spanish-run base in Afghanistan's northwest shot and killed an Afghan policeman who had opened fire on them, officials said, sparking angry protests by at least 1,000 residents.

The governor of Badghis province in the northwest said the rogue policeman was killed by foreign troops after he opened fire on the troops during a firing exercise inside the base in the provincial capital, Qalay-e Naw.

"Three foreign soldiers were wounded in the firing by the police," said governor Dilbar Jan Arman.

He said at least 1,000 protesters tried to storm the base, which lies near the border with Turkmenistan.

Read more: http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCATRE67O13T20100825

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According to Norwegian media the NATO soldiers are Spanish.