Rogue Afghan soldier kills 3 British troops

[July 13, 2010]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A rogue Afghan soldier fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a group of international forces early Tuesday, killing three British troops, a military spokesman said. Four others were wounded.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai sent a letter of apology to the British government, and a joint NATO-Afghan team is investigating the incident in the southern province of Helmand.

The Afghan soldier used a shoulder-mounted launcher to fire a grenade at British soldiers at around 2 a.m. Tuesday, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zaher Azimi said.

The Afghan soldier escaped and is being sought, he said, adding that the motive of the attack was not yet clear.

NATO commander Gen. David Petraeus expressed condolences to the families of the victims and called for unity in the fight to bring security to Afghanistan.

"This is a combined, joint mission, Afghan and Alliance troopers fighting shoulder-to-shoulder against the Taliban and other extremists," he said in a NATO statement. "We have sacrificed greatly together, and we must ensure that the trust between our forces remains solid in order to defeat our common enemies."

In November, an Afghan policeman killed five British troops, underlining the difficulty in training the Afghan security forces who are hoped to take on more responsibilities, allowing international forces to return home.

Britain is the largest contributor to NATO forces in Afghanistan after the United States.

[Associated Press; By RAHIM FAIEZ and KAY JOHNSON]

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