Afghan police kill 2 Albanian army officers

The firing killed two Albanian soldiers and lead to the arrest of 11 Afghan policemen, Albania s Defense Ministry said. They were the first Albanian soldiers to die in Afghanistan, it said. The shooting occurred in the village of Robat, in the southern district of Spin Boldak near the Pakistani border, Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq said. The troops had gone there for a meeting about opening two schools and a health center, the Albanian defense ministry said. According to the ministry s statement, Afghan police opened fire with five assault rifles and one light automatic machine gun. Two Albanians, a captain and a corporal, died of their wounds in a hospital in the southern city of Kandahar. Another international soldier was wounded in the incident, the ministry said. There was no immediate information on that soldier s nationality. "The group on duty arrested 11 Afghan policemen who opened fire," the Albanian ministry said in a statement. Albania has 265 troops in Afghanistan.