According to a report from The New York Times, a U.S. major general was killed in an attack by a lone Afghan soldier on Western troops at a military training academy near Kabul today. Other Americans were shot, and the death toll is expected to rise.

The Times notes that the general who was killed—his name has not yet been released—is the highest-ranking service member to die in the war in Afghanistan. The details of this "insider attack" and what prompted it remain unclear. NBC News reports:

U.S. officials told NBC News that most, if not all, of the victims were American. They said a lone gunman opened fire at a group that included American officials at the Camp Qargha training facility. ...

Officials earlier had told NBC News that the three Western troops had died but later revised the figure. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy, however, death tolls often change in the confusing aftermath of such attacks.

An Afghan soldier who was guarding the entrance to Camp Qargha told the Times that "senior Afghan and coalition officers had been meeting there [today], and that reports from inside the camp indicated that a number of the foreign officers were shot in the attack."

A coalition soldier reportedly fired a warning shot to keep journalists away from the scene after the attack.

[Image via AP]