KABUL, Afghanistan -- An Afghan military pilot killed eight American soldiers and a US contractor at the Kabul airport yesterday after they argued at a meeting, officials said. It was the deadliest episode of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners. The veteran military pilot was himself killed during the attack, and five Afghan soldiers were injured.
A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Dave Lapan, said all nine of those killed by the pilot were Americans. The Afghan Defense Ministry said the killer fired on the Americans after an argument in an operations room of the Afghan Air Corps at Kabul airport.
"Suddenly, in the middle of the meeting, shooting started," said Afghan Air Corps spokesman Col. Bahader, who uses only one name.