Ex-pilot kills 8 in Afghanistan

EIGHT NATO troops and a contractor were killed when an Afghan ex-pilot opened fire after a row at a training centre, the worst attack of its kind in almost a decade of war.

Although the killings appear to have stemmed from a disagreement rather than a rebel attack, they highlighted the prevailing insecurity in Afghanistan, 10 years after a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force confirmed that eight of its American troops and one civilian working for the force died following the shooting.

The 45-year-old gunman was a former pilot re-recruited to the military a few months ago, who had been working as an air force administrator.

The gunman was shot dead by Afghan soldiers following the killings.