Afghans work to stop 'insider' attacks

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KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Afghan officials said they broadened efforts to ferret out insurgents among police and army recruits following "insider" attacks against coalition troops.

Afghan police and military personnel killed nine U.S. troops in so-called green-on-blue attacks in the past 12 days. There have been 40 such deaths this year.

Officials said the enhanced Afghan measures include deploying undercover intelligence officers to Afghan security units, stepped-up surveillance of phone calls between Afghan troops and families and banning use of cellphones among new recruits, The Washington Post reported Monday.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday his U.S. officials were "deeply concerned about this, from top to bottom."

U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Kabul Monday to discuss the matter and Obama said he would be reaching out to Afghan President Hamid Karzai as well.

"Soldiers must feel that they are under the full surveillance of their leadership at all levels," Afghan Army Chief of Staff Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi told the Post after meeting with Dempsey and other U.S. military officials. "Initially, it will have a negative impact on morale but we have to do something. We have to look seriously at every individual."

NATO officials said they've taken steps recently to try to limit the attacks, including asking service members to keep their weapons loaded at all times, the Post reported. NATO has activated an existing program in which coalition troops are tasked with watching colleagues attending meetings with Afghan officials.