KANDAHAR, July 13 – A renegade Afghan soldier killed three British troops during a joint patrol today in southern Helmand province, a provincial security source said.

Two more British soldiers were wounded in the attack which happened near Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand, where some 9,000 British troops are based as part of the Nato-led force.

Nato said in a statement that three of its soldiers were killed in an attack in southern Afghanistan, but gave no further details.

Today’s attack is not the first time foreign troops have been killed by renegade Afghan security forces, raising concern among some in the West about the degree of Taliban infiltration in state security forces trained and funded by the Nato as part of its fight against the resurgent militants.

“If this is true, then it’s very regrettable,” said Waheed Omer, spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

In the deadliest such attack yet, an Afghan policeman killed five British soldiers in a training base in southern Helmand province last November.

A month later, an Afghan soldier shot dead a US service member and wounded two Italian soldiers in a joint Nato and Afghan base in northwestern Badghis.

There have been several other attacks by men in army and police uniforms against government and international forces. – Reuters