Hundreds of Afghan soldiers detained, sacked for insurgent links

ISAF soldiers attend a U.S. led training in Masar-I-Sharif. (Reuters) (September 5, 2012)

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan army has detained or sacked hundreds of soldiers for having links to insurgents, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, as it tries to stem the rising number of so-called insider attacks.

It made the announcement as NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to express his concern over the attacks, in which Afghan servicemen have killed at least 45 NATO-led troops this year, including 15 in August, compared with 35 for all of last year.