Two foreign soldiers killed in apparent insider attack in S. Afghanistan

 • Two foreign soldiers were killed by a man wearing uniform of Afghan police in Helmand on Tuesday.

 • A senior police official told Xinhua that the soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack Tuesday morning.

 • More than 50 foreign soldiers were killed in such incidents since beginning of this year.

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Two foreign soldiers were killed by a man wearing uniform of Afghan police in the country's southern province of Helmand on Tuesday, a provincial official said.

"A man in Afghan police opened fire against a coalition patrol in Gereshk district Tuesday morning, killing two soldiers with the coalition," the official told Xinhua anonymously.

Meantime, a senior police official, Mohammad Ismahil Hotak told Xinhua that the soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack Tuesday morning.

He said an investigation was underway into the incident.

Troops mainly from Briton and the United States are stationed in Helmand province.

If it is confirmed that the attacker was an Afghan policeman or gunman in their uniform, it would be the latest in the so-called green-on-blue insider attack.

More than 50 foreign soldiers were killed in such incidents since beginning of this year.

The coalition military officials have recently said that about 25 percent of the insider attacks are in some manner related to the Taliban-led insurgency. They said the factors that contribute to the so-called green on blue shootings are wide-ranging from infiltration and impersonation to personal grievances.

However, it is said that the cultural differences between Afghan security forces and their western partners could also be a reason for the attacks.

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