TOM HAYS
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK – A gunfight at an Afghan police outpost that resulted in attempted-murder charges against a U.S.-trained Pakistani scientist created friction within the U.S. Army over how she got her hands on a soldier’s assault rifle, according to testimony at her trial.
The testimony in federal court in Manhattan also has offered a window into tensions between U.S. and Afghan authorities battling militant forces near the Pakistani border.
U.S. Army Capt. Robert Snyder told a jury on Tuesday that the unnamed soldier, a chief warrant officer, created a deadly risk by not securing his weapon. He described seeing the soldier put down the rifle and turn away to shake hands with police before the gunfire erupted.