Prisoner kills two Marines

A PRISONER killed two US Marines in southern Afghanistan after escaping a prayer room and grabbing a rifle, Nato said yesterday.

The alliance said the gunman was later shot dead and that the incident, on Saturday, was under investigation.

“The prisoner escaped a room where he was observing prayer time, acquired a rifle and subsequently engaged Afghan and coalition forces. The Marines were killed while trying to subdue the prisoner,” said Nato in a statement.

Another Nato soldier was killed by a bomb in the south yesterday, adding to a toll of victims of explosives laid by insurgents which is rising almost daily.