A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew chief scans below near Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, on June 9. (Capt. Brian Harris/ Army)
On September 5, a spokesman for the NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, Lieutenant colonel Martin O’Donnell, announced that U.S. Army Sergeant major Timothy Bolyard, 42 years old, was killed in an insider attack at a military base in Afghanistan.
In details, an Afghan policeman opened fire at U.S. service members inside Camp Maiwand, an Afghan military base in the eastern province of Logar, at the noon of September 3. Sgt. Maj. Bolyard was killed and another U.S. service member was injured during the assault.
According to Col. O’Donnell, the attacker fled after the assault. However, Afghan security forces manged to capture him later. The Resolute Support spokesman said that the investigation is still ongoing and declined to reveal the motive behind the attack.
Two months ago, Corporal Joseph Maciel was killed and two other U.S. service members were injured in a similar insider attack by a rogue soldier of the Afghan National Army (ANA).
The new incident indicates that insider attacks, known as “green on blue” attacks in which Afghan service members attack NATO troops, are still a serious threat, despite that their number declined during the last few years.
