Shot Briton may have been latest victim of Afghans' betrayal

BRITISH forces are investigating whether a soldier shot dead in Helmand at the weekend was deliberately killed by an Afghan comrade, in a fresh act of betrayal by Afghan forces against their international mentors.

At least 23 Nato soldiers and two civilian trainers have been killed by Afghan soldiers and police since 2009, in a spate of attacks which have left ordinary soldiers deeply wary of their local allies.

Details of Saturday's killing emerged as Nato made its first official handover to Afghan forces, yesterday. United States and New Zealand forces passed responsibility for the central, and largely peaceful, province of Bamyan to their Afghan counterparts.

British troops are due to hand over Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, on Wednesday.

Nato's International Security Assistance Force said the dead British soldier, who has not been named, was killed when a man "wearing Afghan National Army uniform" turned his weapon against a group of coalition soldiers.

At least two other soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously, before the attacker fled, western and Afghan officials told The Scotsman.

Elsewhere, at least two foreign soldiers and 13 insurgents were killed in a series of separate attacks over the weekend. The violence underlines how much Nato still has to do as General John Allen takes command of US and Nato forces from the out-going commander, General David Petraeus, today.

Nato said British and Afghan troops were hunting for the killer in Nahr-e Saraj district, last night, although a local Afghan Army commander insisted all his soldiers were accounted for.

The Ministry of Defence said the dead soldier, from the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, was part of the Brigade Advisory Group which mentors the Afghan army. His death brings Britain's toll to 376 since 2001.

The spokesman for British forces in Helmand, Lt-Col Tim Purbrick, confirmed the soldier was killed by a gunshot. "A report that the fatal gunshot was fired by an Afghan National Army soldier is now the subject of a joint investigation."

The Ministry of Defence said the soldier was "in a fire-support position, tracking the progress of a foot patrol from his Jackal vehicle," when both groups came under fire.

A series of similar attacks against British, US, Italian and Australian soldiers have also raised fears that the Taleban have infiltrated Afghanistan's security forces.

General Sayed Malook, the commander of Afghan forces in Helmand, insisted it was still not clear whether the attacker was an insurgent disguised in Afghan uniform, or if one of his soldiers had fired on the British troops by mistake.