Afghan 'insider attacks kill 13'

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U.S General John Allen says 13 members of the NATO-led military coalition in Afghanistan have been killed, in apparent 'insider' attacks by Afghan security personnel motivated in part by the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO air base.

The commander of international forces in Afghanistan was appearing before the House Armed Services Committee in Washington D.C. on Tuesday (March 20).

"To be sure, the last couple of months have been trying. In the wake of the revelations that American troops had mishandled religious texts to include the Koran; protests, some of them violent, occurred in several but only a few regions across Afghanistan, 32 Afghans lost their lives in these riots and even more were hurt," he said.

"Just since the 1st of January, the coalition has lost 60 brave troops in action, from six different nations. Thirteen of them were killed at the hands of what appeared to have been Afghan security forces, some of whom were motivated, we believe, in part by the mishandling of religious materials.

"And, just as tragic, as Dr. Miller mentioned, we're investigating what appears to be the murder of 16 innocent Afghan civilians at the hand of a U.S. service member.

"Now, each of these events are heart-wrenching, and my thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected by this violence, coalition and Afghan alike.

But I assure you the relationship between the coalition and our Afghan security forces remains strong," he added.