Afghan claims he killed 3 British troops

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 16 (UPI) -- The man claiming to be the Afghan soldier who killed three British troops in Helmand province told the BBC he was angry at the troops' conduct and acted alone.

He said he had joined the Taliban after Tuesday's attack when three members of the Royal Gurkha Rifles died in a gun and rocket-propelled grenade attack, the BBC reported Friday.

During the 10-minute interview with the broadcaster's correspondent in Kabul, The man, who identified himself as 21-year-old Talib Hussain from Ghazni province, said he was angry about the conduct of British troops in Helmand province, accusing them of killing civilians, including children.

He said the decision to shoot the British soldiers was his own and he had had no contact with the Taliban, Iran or Pakistan beforehand. He said he joined the Taliban militants after the shootings.

Hussain said he belonged to the Hazara ethnic group and spent several years in Iran, joining the Afghan army after returning to the country about a year ago, the BBC said.

Britain's Defense Ministry told the BBC it was aware "an individual has contacted the media claiming responsibility for the killing of three British soldiers on Tuesday morning in Helmand province."

"While we cannot comment on the legitimacy of this individual's claims to be the suspect responsible for this cowardly attack, it is ridiculous to suggest that we are engaged in suicide attacks or are deliberately killing civilians," the ministry said. "Insurgents and those who are against the coalition mission in Afghanistan routinely make false and exaggerated claims and so care must be taken not to accept their accounts at face value."