Afghan teenager stabs US soldier to death as he played with children
An Afghan teenager has killed an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan by stabbing him in the neck while he played with a group of local children.
Sgt. Michael C. Cable was stabbed in the neck while he played with a group of children Photo: AP
Associated Press in Kabul 3:57PM BST 01 Apr 2013
The killing, announced by officials on Monday, came as the monthly US death toll rose sharply in March to 14 with the start of the spring fighting season when the Taliban and other insurgents take advantage of improved weather to step up attacks.
Sgt Michael Cable, 26, was guarding Afghan and US officials meeting in Shinwar district in Nangarhar province, near the border with Pakistan, when the stabbing occurred last Wednesday, two senior US officials said.
Sgt Cable was playing with a group of children outside when the attacker, thought to be 16 years of age, came from behind and stabbed him in the neck with a large knife.
Zalmai Khan, a senior district official, said the teenager had escaped to nearby Pakistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the young man was acting independently when he killed the soldier, but had joined the Islamic militant movement since fleeing the scene.
One of the US officials said the youth was not believed to have been a member of the Afghan security forces or in uniform, so it was not being classified as an insider attack.
The Afghan and American dignitaries were attending the swearing-in ceremony of Afghan Local Police. Afghan Local Police, or ALP, recruits are drawn from villages and backed by the US military.
The attack occurred after the soldiers had secured the area for the meeting. The Pentagon said in a statement last week that Sgt Cable, of Philpot, Kentucky, died from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by enemy forces.
At least 14 US soldiers died in March, compared with four in the previous two months, according to an Associated Press tally.
The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan has dropped sharply as international forces increasingly take a back seat while preparing to end their combat mission by the end of 2014. But they continue to face dangers ranging from roadside bombs to attacks by their Afghan counterparts or insurgents disguised as government forces.
