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Santa Rosa Man Killed During Shooting At Airport In Afghanistan

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) -- A Santa Rosa man was one of nine Americans killed in Afghanistan when an Afghan pilot opened fire near Kabul International Airport.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports that 55-year-old James McLaughlin Jr. had been working as a civilian contractor when he and eight U.S. soldiers died in the shooting early Wednesday.

His wife Sandy McLaughlin says she was notified her husband had been killed but was not told of the circumstances.

The newspaper reports that McLaughlin began working as a contractor after he retired as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army in 2007 after 25 years of military service. He had lived in Sonoma County since 1987.

Wednesday's attack occurred during a meeting between American and Afghan officers in a military compound near the Kabul airport.

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