Afghan cop murders American police advisor in Kabul

by: jim kouri | published: 12 26, 2012

An American police advisor contracted by NATO was shot to death on Christmas Eve (Monday) when an Afghan female police officer allegedly opened fire on the law enforcement veteran, according to a former U.S. law enforcement and military intelligence officer now working in Israel.

"A female police officer with the Afghan National Police (ANP) opened fire on her own foreign police advisor inside Kabul police headquarters Monday morning, killing the advisor," said the Law Enforcement Examiner source.

The victim was 49-year-old police veteran Joseph Griffin of Mansfield, Georgia, who was contracted by U.S.-based security firm DynCorp International. The civilian contractor for the security assistance force was working as an adviser to Afghan police, according to DynCorp officials.

Griffin had been supporting the Afghan Ministry of Interior and Afghan National Police Development Program. Griffin, a veteran of the U.S. military, he served in a number of American-based law enforcement positions.

A new Army handbook, which is around 75 pages, suggests that Western ignorance of Afghan culture -- not Taliban infiltration -- is responsible for the increase in deadly attacks by Afghan soldiers against the coalition forces, according to government watchdog Judicial Watch.

The leaked draft of the handbook offers a list of “taboo conversation topics” that soldiers should avoid, including “making derogatory comments about the Taliban,” “advocating women’s rights,” “any criticism of pedophilia,” “directing any criticism towards Afghans,” “mentioning homosexuality and homosexual conduct” or “anything related to Islam,” according to the report.

A spokesman with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed that a civilian police advisor contracted by the ISAF came under attack in Kabul.

According to reports, the Afghan woman was dressed in an ANP police uniform when she attacked the civilian police advisor in Kabul. The shooter was immediately arrested following her assassination of the American.

The motive behind the shooting has not been determined by investigators.

If the attacker confirmed to be a member of ANP, then Monday's incident would be the latest in the so-called "green-on-blue" insider attacks when Afghan police or army turned their weapons against their international partners, most of whom have been Americans.

A total of 58 foreign soldiers were killed in 38 such incidents since beginning of 2012.

The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, have regularly claimed responsibilities for the green on blue attacks, saying their men have infiltrated into the ranks of Afghan army and police to kill foreign soldiers, according to the Israeli source.

However, the coalition military officials have recently said that only about 25 percent of the insider attacks are in some manner related to the Taliban-led insurgency.

According to NATO, about 1,400 women were serving in the Afghan police force midyear, with 350 in the army. Such professions are still generally frowned on in Muslim society but women have made significant gains in Afghanistan in recent years, with most jobs and education opportunities open to them, at least by law if not always in practice.

They said the factors that contribute to the so-called green on blue shootings are wide-ranging and it is said that the cultural differences between Afghan security forces and their western partners could also be a reason for the attacks, according to the Pentagon.

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