Probe finds US underreporting cases of anti-US attacks by Afghan forces

The U.S.-led coalition routinely reports each time an American or other foreign soldier is killed by an Afghan in uniform. But the AP (the Associated Press) has learned it does not report insider attacks in which the Afghan wounds - or misses - his U.S. or allied target. It also doesn't report the wounding of troops who were attacked alongside those who were killed," the Associate Press reported Monday.

This year alone, according to the wire service, "in addition to 10 fatal insider attacks ... there have been two others that resulted in no deaths or injuries, plus one attack that resulted in wounded [sic], for a total of 13 attacks. The three non-fatal attacks had not previously been reported."

The spokesman for the US-led coalition, the International Security Assistance Force, has been quoted in the report as saying that the incidents not involving fatalities and information about wounded personnel have not been reported because not all nations in the coalition have given their consent on the matter.

The AP report also reiterates that "the insider threat has existed for years but has grown more deadly.” Last year, it added, there “were 21 fatal attacks that killed 35 coalition service members, according to ISAF figures. That compares with 11 fatal attacks and 20 deaths the previous year. In 2007 and 2008 there were a combined total of four attacks and four deaths."

The rising number of military casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other members of the Western military alliance of NATO, undermining public support for the US-led war.

Insecurity continues to climb across Afghanistan despite the continued presence of nearly 130,000 US-led forces in the Asian country.

According to the icasualties.org website, 138 US-led troops have been killed in Afghanistan so far this year.