Thirteen members of the NATO-led Western military coalition in Afghanistan have been killed so far this year in what appear to be "insider" attacks by members of the Afghan security forces, the commander of US and NATO forces there said on Tuesday.
US General John Allen, in prepared testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, also said the United States and its allies remain on track to ensure Afghanistan will not once again be a safe haven for al-Qaeda and will not be terrorised by the Taliban.
Allen appears before Congress as the Obama administration seeks to overcome a series of setbacks in the long fight in Afghanistan, including Afghans' outcry over the burning of copies of the Koran on a NATO base last month and the killings last week of 16 Afghan civilians, reportedly by a US soldier.
"Just since the first of January, the coalition has lost 60 brave troops in action, from six different nations," Allen said.
"Thirteen of them were killed at the hands of what appear to have been Afghan security forces, some of whom who were motivated, we believe, in part by the mishandling of religious materials."
Speaking of "shock absorbency" in the NATO-Afghan relationship, Allen said ties between foreign and local forces remain strong despite recent events.
Allen also said Afghanistan's neighbor Iran, at odds with the United States and its Western allies over its disputed nuclear programme, "continues to support the insurgency and fuels the flames of violence."
