An Afghan police chief said on Friday that guards for a US security firm obstructed an investigation into the alleged fatal shooting of an Afghan interpreter in western Afghanistan by his American boss.
Noor Ahmad, 37, was shot in the head late Tuesday at the compound of his employer, US Protection and Investigations, at Tut village in Farah province's Gulistan district, police and local officials said.
The American reportedly worked as the local supervisor for USPI, a Houston-based company that provides security for foreign contract workers in Afghanistan, including on construction of a US-funded road between the cities of Herat and Kandahar.
"An American guy shot his translator. Next morning, a helicopter came and took the foreigner to Kabul," provincial police chief Allah Udin Noorzai said.
LACK OF DETAILS
Noorzai had no details about who had taken him away, although other officials in the province claimed they were Americans.
The Interior Ministry in Kabul confirmed that a foreigner had allegedly had shot an Afghan working for USPI and had been brought to Kabul, but gave no further details, including whether he was in custody or still in the country.
Noorzai said he had sent a criminal investigation team to the USPI compound after the shooting, but his men were blocked from entering by its security guards.
Bill Dupre, USPI's country operations manager in Kabul, said: "USPI does not want to release any statement on this incident at all."
The US Embassy said it was looking into media reports about the case. The US military said it had no information.
FAMILY'S DEMAND
Ahmad's relatives claimed the American had shot the Afghan during a late-night party because of a personal grievance against him.
"We want our government to avenge my brother," said a brother, Fazel Ahmad, a 45-year old bank worker in Herat, where Noor was buried on Thursday. "They shouldn't let him [the American] escape."
Syedo Jan Agha, a local militia commander who is paid by USPI to help provide security, claimed Ahmad had a reputation for aggressive behavior and drunkenness.
"We had previously complained to USPI about Noor Ahmad. All the time he was drinking," Agha said.
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