US urges Karzai to counter growing Afghan insider threat

KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed on Sunday to boost the vetting of Afghan recruits to stem the number of foreign troops being killed by their local partners, the Pentagon said in a statement.

In the latest "insider" attack on Friday, two U.S. special forces were shot dead by an Afghan soldier, taking this year's death toll of NATO forces and contractors killed by their Afghan partners to 37 compared to 35 for all of 2011.

The growing insider threat has eroded trust between NATO and its Afghan allies, causing a headache for Western powers who are planning to pull out most of their troops by the end of 2014.

Panetta, in a phone call to Karzai on Sunday, urged the president to work with NATO to boost counterintelligence efforts, introduce more vigorous vetting of Afghan security forces and to speak more with village elders who have ties to the army and police, the statement said.

"They expressed shared concern over this issue and agreed that American and Afghan officials should work even more closely together to minimise the potential" for future attacks, it added.

NATO's top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. General John Allen, this week issued dramatic orders for all coalition forces to carry a loaded magazine in their weapons at all times on base after six Marines were killed on August 10 in two separate insider shootings.

Field commanders have also been given discretion to increase numbers of so-called "guardian angel" sentries who oversee foreign soldiers in crowded areas like gyms and food halls, to respond to any rogue shootings.

"Commanders always have the ability to do whatever they think is right depending on their tactical situation," said a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of security arrangements.

There have been 31 insider, or green-on-blue, attacks so far this year, compared to 21 attacks last year.

(Reporting by Amie Ferris-Rotman and Rob Taylor; Editing by Alessandra Rizzo)