Nato soldier shoots dead BBC reporter in Afghanistan

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force on Thursday that admitted one of its soldiers shot dead a local journalist working for the BBC in Afghanistan in July. The alliance said the soldier mistook 25-year-old Ahmed Omed Khpulwak for an insurgent and shot him thinking he was about to detonate a suicide vest, ISAF said.
Khpulwak was one of 21 people who died during five hours of fighting on July 28 that began when insurgents detonated a car bomb outside an official's compound in Trinkot, the capital of the southern province of Uruzgan. "After a thorough investigation it was determined the reporter was killed in a case of mistaken identity," ISAF said. "Mr Khpulwak was shot by an ISAF member who believed he was an insurgent that posed a threat and was about to detonate a suicide vest improvised explosive device."
The alliance said the soldier involved had "complied with the laws of armed conflict and rules of engagement and acted reasonably under the circumstances." The British broadcaster asked Nato to investigate last month after what it called "conflicting reports" emerged of the circumstances surrounding Khpulwak's death.
Khpulwak worked for the BBC on a freelance basis and joined the broadcaster in May, 2008, it said. He also worked for the Pajwak Afghan news agency. Shortly after the incident a Taliban spokesman said the insurgent group was not responsible for killing Khpulwak and said the police were to blame.