(CNN) Gen. Scott Miller, the head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, drew his sidearm during an attack that erupted in a Kandahar compound Thursday, according to a coalition member with direct knowledge of what happened.

Miller did not fire, the official said. It's so rare for such a senior US military officer to be in a position that would require him to draw a weapon that US military officials said they could not immediately recall a similar case.

The police chief of Kandahar province, Gen. Abdul Raziq Achakzai, was killed and two Americans were wounded in the attack that took place following a security meeting.

The Americans included one US service member, a coalition contractor and one US civilian government employee, according to two US military officials. They were evacuated and are in stable condition.

The Taliban released a statement claiming responsibility, saying they killed "the notorious police chief" who was their primary target in the attack. The shooter was killed by the US military, one official said Thursday.

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