WHAT: A 20-year veteran Afghan military pilot said to be distressed over his personal finances allegedly opened fire after an argument at a Kabul airport meeting, killing eight U.S. troops and an American civilian contractor before being shot down.

WHO: The Taliban boasted that the alleged gunman was a militant impersonating an army officer. But that claim was knocked down by an Afghan physician who insisted pilot Ahmad Gul, 48, his brother, cracked under economic pressures and was not a Taliban backer.

WHY IT’S OMINOUS: So far this year, there have been seven attacks on coalition troops by Afghan security forces, or Taliban insurgents impersonating them. On April 16, an Afghan soldier blew himself up at a NATO trainers’ meeting and killed 10 people.