Afghan soldier guns down US general in Kabul

A U.S. general has been shot dead in Afghanistan, becoming the highest-ranking American officer to be killed since 9/11, in an insider attack that left more than a dozen wounded including a senior German officer.

The shooting, which killed Major General Harold J. Greene, rocked the U.S.-led project to train up the Afghan army as NATO combat forces withdraw after 13 years of fighting the Taliban.

The assault is the first time a U.S. general has been killed in a combat zone since the Vietnam War, and will do little to alleviate deep mistrust between international troops and their Afghan allies.

Greene, who was the deputy for acquisitions at the US Army headquarters in Washington, was also the highest-ranking U.S. officer slain since the September 11, 2001 attacks, when Lieutenant General Timothy Joseph Maude was killed by a hijacked airliner that crashed into the Pentagon.

The Afghan soldier was himself killed after he opened fire during a high-level visit by NATO officers on Tuesday to the Marshal Fahim National Defense University, a sprawling training complex on the outskirts of the capital.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Major General Harold J. Greene's family, and the families of our soldiers who were injured today in the tragic events," said US army chief General Ray Odierno.

A U.S. official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that around 15 people were injured, including eight Americans. The nationalities of the other victims were unclear, but the German army said that one of its generals was wounded, while officials in Kabul said at least three Afghan officers were hurt.

Afghan officials had earlier described the attacker as a man wearing Afghan uniform, suggesting he may not have been...