In brief: ‘Insider attack’ kills American soldier

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan soldier shot and killed a U.S. soldier and wounded several others Wednesday before being shot dead, the first so-called “insider attack” to target NATO troops since they ended their combat mission at the start of the year.

The shooting happened after Afghan provincial leaders met a U.S. Embassy official at the compound of the Nangarhar provincial governor in the city of Jalalabad. All U.S. Embassy staff were accounted for and safe, the diplomatic mission said.

“Right after the U.S. official had left, suddenly an Afghan army soldier opened fire on the U.S. soldiers who were present in the compound,” said Afghan Gen. Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, the police chief for eastern Nangarhar province.

The American troops returned fire, killing the Afghan soldier, whom Sherzad identified as Abdul Azim of Laghman province.

The motive was not immediately known.

Gold mine robbery likely an inside job

CULIACAN, Mexico – A robbery of $8.5 million in gold from a mine refinery in Mexico’s western Sinaloa state was likely an inside job, authorities said Wednesday.

Sinaloa’s interior minister Gerard Vargas Landeros told reporters that the caper at the facility of Canada-based McEwen Mining Inc. had to have been pulled off by either employees or ex-employees.

A statement from McEwen said the theft occurred Tuesday at the El Gallo 1 mine and involved 1,984 pounds of gold-bearing concentrate containing approximately 7,000 ounces of gold.