Laura King
LA Times
January 16, 2011
Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan —
A U.S. Marine shot and killed an Afghan policeman who pointed a weapon at him Saturday, Western military officials said. The incident took place at an outpost in the Sangin district of Helmand province, one of the most troubled enclaves in Afghanistan.
Marines from Camp Pendleton took over command of the violent district from British forces last fall, as part of a drive to expel Taliban fighters from their traditional heartland in Afghanistan’s south.
The shooting pointed up tensions between the Western military and Afghan counterparts in a crucial phase of their partnership. The Obama administration and other Western governments hope that Afghan security forces will be ready to take the lead in safeguarding the country by 2014.
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