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Military Connection: Two Army Losses in One Week: By Debbie Gregory

An insider attack at Camp Qargha, near Kabul, Afghanistan, killed one and wounded fourteen others on August 5th. The deceased is an Army major general, whose identity has yet to be released. The death of this 2-star general marks the highest ranking casualty the U.S. has suffered in Afghanistan.

It has been reported that an individual dressed in an Afghan soldier’s uniform shot the general at close range with a light machine gun. It is not yet clear if the shooter was an actual member of the Afghan security force who turned on his allies, **or** an insurgent in a stolen uniform. Besides killing the general, the gunman wounded a German brigadier general, as well as more than a dozen NATO personnel, half of whom have been reported to be Americans. News sources say that the German general will survive his injuries. There have been no further reports on the others wounded.

The Taliban had previously released statements stating their intent to infiltrate NATO forces and commit “insider” attacks, in order to display their ability to do so. The use of infiltration attacks has created mistrust and caused altercations between coalition forces and their Afghan allies.

This attack is the second death of the week for the U.S. Army. On Sunday, Staff Sgt. Girard Gass Jr., from Lumber Bridge, NC, was killed in a non-combat related incident. Gass was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg.

With the deaths of Staff Sgt. Gass and the fallen general, the U.S. death toll in Afghanistan has reached 2,341.

The staff at Military Connection would like to send our deepest condolences to the families, comrades and friends of Staff Sgt. Gass and the fallen general.

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