By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services
Updated at 6:38 a.m. ET: KABUL, Afghanistan -- Two American soldiers were shot dead in southern Afghanistan when two men, one of whom was believed to be an Afghan soldier, turned their weapons against them, officials said Thursday.
One of the gunmen was wearing civilian clothing and the other was believed to be a member of the Afghan army, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.
"Two individuals, one believed to be an Afghan National Army service member and the other in civilian clothing, turned their weapons indiscriminately against International Security Assistance Force and Afghan National Security Force service members in southern Afghanistan today," the statement said.
NYT: Quran burning outrage complicates US pullout
A senior defense official told NBC News that both of the NATO troops were American.
The killings, in the country's south, occurred after two senior U.S. officers were gunned down in the heart of Afghanistan's Interior Ministry on Saturday. Afghan security officials believe a police intelligence official was involved.
Riots triggered by the inadvertent Quran burning at a US military base prompted the US to lock down its embassy. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.
Days before that, an Afghan solider shot and killed two other U.S. troops during a protest over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base.
Afghanistan unrest stirs worries, but doesn't shake commitment
The shooting Thursday is the latest case of Afghan policemen or soldiers — or militants disguised in their uniforms — killing NATO troops and it is likely to raise further questions about the effectiveness of the country's security forces.
Six NATO service members have been killed this way in less than two weeks.
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NBC News' Courtney Kube, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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