Afghan soldier wounds 7 U.S. soldiers in insider attack
An Afghan soldier opened fire on American soldiers June 17, injuring at least seven, the U.S. military said. It was the second such insider attack by an Afghan soldier in the past week.
Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the 209th Army corps, confirmed that an insider attack took place at a camp in Mazar-e Sharif. Araam said the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker.
Gen. Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, also confirmed the attack.
The Resolute Support mission announced on its Twitter feed that seven U.S. service members were wounded but said there were no U.S. fatalities. It said one Afghan soldier was killed and one wounded.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the attack in a statement sent to the media. But he did not claim Taliban responsibility.
Last week three U.S. soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province. In that case Mujahid claimed that the shooter was a Taliban loyalist who infiltrated the army specifically to seek out opportunities to attack foreign soldiers. AP
Iran, China hold joint naval drill in Persian Gulf
Iran’s navy has conducted a joint exercise with a Chinese fleet near the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf.
The official IRNA news agency the June 18 drill included an Iranian warship as well as two Chinese warships, a logistics ship and a Chinese helicopter that arrived in Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas last week.
It said the scheduled exercise came before the departure of the Chinese fleet for Muscat, Oman. It did not provide further details.
The U.S. navy held a joint drill with Qatar in the Persian Gulf June 17.
U.S. and Iranian warships have had a number of tense encounters in the Persian Gulf in recent years. Nearly a third of all oil traded by sea passes through the Strait of Hormuz. AP
Boeing to move hundreds of Seattle area jobs to Arizona
The Seattle Times reports the company confirmed Wednesday the work shifting to Mesa, Ariz., could involve hundreds of jobs.
The changes will affect Boeing’s Shared Services Group, which employs about 3,000 people and provides support services to Boeing’s corporate and production units.
The unit’s leadership has initiated a review and has started to tell specific groups that their jobs could be moving.
The move is part of Boeing’s drive to cut costs, which is largely responsible for the loss of more than 18,300 Boeing jobs in the state since the most recent employment peak in fall 2012.
Boeing aims to complete the reorganization by 2020.
Group president Beverly Wyse says it’s too early to know how many jobs will be moved. AP