Afghan spy agency guard kills 2 American soldiers

An Afghan spy agency bodyguard shot dead two American soldiers and wounded a third Saturday morning before he himself was also killed in the firefight, officials said. The incident happened after an apparent row in Panjsher, one of the most peaceful provinces in Afghanistan. "Two American soldiers were killed, one American soldier was wounded and the Afghan NDS employee was also killed in the exchange of fire," deputy provincial governor Abdul Rehman told AFP. The NDS is the Afghan National Directorate for Security. Rehman ruled out any insurgent or Taliban involvement in the incident. He said the dead NDS employee, named only as Amanullah, was working as a bodyguard for a high-ranking Afghan NDS official and was on his way back to work after a weekend holiday to the province. "He was an NDS employee and was working as a trusted bodyguard of one of the high-ranking NDS officials. We rule out any enemy role or involvement in this attack," Rehman said. Another provincial source said Amanullah was the "special bodyguard" of the deputy Afghan spy chief, Hessamudin Hessam. He said the clash may have been caused after a car accident or a row. The American soldiers were working for Panjsher Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), said Rehman. The NATO's International Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan said they can only confirm an incident involving their troops but could not give further information immediately. "We are aware of a shooting incident in Panjsher province today, which is now over. It involved ISAF personnel and there are some ISAF casualties," the NATO press office said. Taliban insurgents claimed the attack and said they killed three PRT members and wounded another four in an ambush. The Taliban are known to exaggerate their claims. Panjsher was one of the very rare parts of the country that the Taliban did not conquer during their 1996 to 2001 rule.