2 US soldiers shot inside Afghan ministry building after Quran burning

UPDATE

Pentagon Identifies Americans Killed in Kabul Shooting
By NICK SCHIFRIN
Feb. 27, 2012
The Pentagon has confirmed the identity of the second American high-ranking Army officer who was killed in a shooting inside Afghanistan's Interior Ministry as Maj. Robert Marchanti of Baltimore, Maryland.

Afghan police believe the shooting, which occurred in one of the most secure government complexes in the country and also took the life of Lt. Col. John Loftis of Paducah, Kentucky, was carried out by a 25-year-old Afghan police officer. The incident, in addition to widespread protests, was believed to be part of a violent reaction to the U.S. military's admission it had burned some copies of the Muslim holy book, the Koran.
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2 soldiers shot inside Afghan ministry building
By Amir Shah and Rahim Faiez - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Feb 25, 2012 9:19:20 EST

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. service members were shot dead Saturday by another Westerner inside the Afghan Interior Ministry, officials said, a statement later contradicted by a NATO official.

The attack came as tensions between the Afghans and the Americans are high following the burning of copies of the Muslim holy book at a U.S. base that sparked days of deadly protests. But Afghan officials said Saturday’s shooting did not involve any Afghans. A NATO spokesman later added that the man who shot the Americans was not a Westerner.

Instead, they said, another international adviser turned his gun on two Americans, two Afghan officials said, speaking anonymously to discuss a NATO incident. One of the officials noted that the shooting occurred inside a secure room at the ministry that Afghan staff do not have access to.

A U.S. official in Washington confirmed that the two killed were American and that they were killed by “an assailant,” without giving further information about the attacker. The official spoke anonymously to discuss information that had not been publicly released.
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