Marine Kills Afghan Policeman

A U.S. Marine shot and killed an Afghan police officer Saturday after the two had a dispute during a NATO security operation. According to initial reports of the incident by coalition forces, the two had a disagreement that escalated when the policeman made threatening statements and pointed his gun at the Marine. The Marine shouted at him to put his weapon down, and then fired two fatal shots. The incident underscores the tension between U.S. troops and Afghan security forces who are being trained by coalition forces on a tight schedule. Violence in the country is at an all-time high, and Afghan forces bear the brunt of the losses: last year, 1,292 Afghan police and 821 Afghan soldiers were killed.