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Though it appears the attack was directed at the Afghan officials, it is the closest that the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan has come to being being a potential target in an insider attack. That is the term used to describe attacks carried out by Afghan security forces targeting U.S. or NATO security personnel.

In 2014, Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, who was in charge of part of the training mission in Afghanistan, was killed in an insider attack carried out by an Afghan soldier.

He is the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to have died in Afghanistan.

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