A US major-general has been killed in an attack by a man in Afghan military uniform at a British-run military academy near Kabul, US officials say.

Two British soldiers were among the wounded, along with several Americans, a German general and an Afghan general.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence said the Afghan soldier who opened fire was shot dead.

The US major-general is the most senior international soldier killed since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

He has been identified as Major-General Harold Greene, US media reported.

He was the deputy commanding general for the Combined Security Transition Command, involved in preparations for the withdrawal of US coalition troops at the end of the year, says the Associated Press.

The BBC understands the shooting at Camp Qargha happened after a dispute broke out.

The attacker was a soldier who was recruited three years ago, Afghan defence ministry sources told the BBC.

Afghan 'Sandhurst'

The incident is said to have occurred late morning or lunchtime after an argument between Afghans and an armed Afghan soldier.

The Afghan soldier opened fire from a guard post at a large group of senior Afghan and international troops.

By the time he had emptied the magazine of his US-issue M16 rifle, more than a dozen people had been shot, our correspondent says.

Major-General Harold Greene is the most senior US soldier to die in combat since the Vietnam War.

The Afghan commander of the British-led officers' academy, General Gulam Sakhi, was among those wounded.

The training academy is modelled on UK military academy Sandhurst and will be the only British military presence in Afghanistan when operations end this year.

It first took cadets last October. A UK MoD spokesman said the incident was under investigation "and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time".

But the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said in a statement: "We can confirm that an incident occurred involving local Afghan and Isaf troops at Camp Qargha.

"The camp, also known as the Kabul ANA Officer Academy, is an Afghan National Security Forces facility. We are in the process of assessing the situation."

The academy is set in a long, low ridge of hills close to Kabul.

Its military history syllabus includes the analysis of Afghan tactics in past wars against the British, as well as during the mujahedeen wars against the Soviet army.

There were 10,000 applicants who applied ahead of its first intake.

Shortly after the academy opened there was a shooting incident when an Afghan soldier in a neighbouring barracks opened fire, injuring Australian and New Zealand troops providing security.

There are also troops from other nations at the site, including a large contingent of US soldiers.

Most of the UK's combat troops have already left Afghanistan, and almost all will have left by the end of the year.