Special Forces company commander met with village elders and members of the Afghan National Army Corps in 2007 to discuss military operations in the Sangin District. It is the same area where three U.S. soldiers were killed Friday. (U.S. Army/Flickr)

The killings took place in the Sangin District of Helmand Province, and an Afghan official said the killings appeared to be premeditated by one of their Afghan allies. 

Muhammad Sharif, the governor of Sangin, said "a police commander had invited the Special Forces soldiers to eat at his check post. He then shot them when their guard was down and fled." Sharif puts the number of Americans dead at four.

The NATO-led coalition, which functions alongside the American command in Afghanistan, said the soldiers may not have arrived for the meal or any other gathering. They were unable to provide additional details until the families of the deceased had been notified and investigators completed their inquiry.

The latest shooting brings the total number of coalition service members intentionally killed this year by Afghan forces to 34 in 25 attacks, according to The New York Times. In 2011, a total of 35 were killed in 21 "green-on-blue" attacks - the military's term for killings by Afghan forces of their coalition counterparts.

Coalition and Afghan officials said much of the violence is a result of personal disputes and not the result of Taliban infiltration.

For more of Neon Tommy's coverage on Afghanistan, click here.

Reach Executive Producer Subrina Hudson here; follow her on Twitter here.