By DPA
Kabul : Four Afghans and a soldier of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan died after they were hit during an exchange of gunfire between Afghan army soldiers in the western region of the country, officials said Tuesday.
An Afghan military soldier opened fire on his comrades after a verbal argument Monday in the western province of Herat, killing three Afghan soldiers and one civilian and wounding 10 others including the coalition soldier, said General Fazeluddin Sayar, an Afghan army commander in Herat province.
General Zahir Azimi, a defence ministry spokesman, confirmed the firing by one of the soldiers, who he said was addicted to some sort of drug. The soldier opened fire after an argument with one of his comrades, Gen Azimi said.
The US military at Bagram Airfield, the biggest US military base in the country, said in a statement that the coalition soldier succumbed to his injuries on Monday night.
The statement did not identify the nationality of the soldier, but Afghan officials said that he was a military advisor for the Afghan army in the western region.
Azimi said that the soldier who opened fire was arrested and the incident was under investigation.
An Afghan army soldier shot dead two US soldiers near a prison in Kabul in May, but the result of the investigation into the incident is yet to be announced.