http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20120312_01

US. soldiers open Fire on civilians in Afghanistan

Western forces shot dead 16 civilians including nine children in
southern Kandahar province on Sunday, Afghan officials said, in a rampage that
witnesses said was carried out by American soldiers who were laughing and
appeared drunk.
One Afghan father who said his children were killed in the
shooting spree accused soldiers of later burning the bodies.
Witnesses told Reuters they saw a group of U.S. soldiers arrive
at their village in Kandahar's Panjwayi district at around 2 am, enter homes and
open fire.
The incident, one of the worst of its kind since the U.S.-led
invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, is likely to deepen the divide between
Washington and Kabul.
The U.S. embassy in Kabul said an American soldier had been
detained over the shooting. It added that anti-U.S. reprisals were possible
following the killings, which come just weeks after U.S. soldiers burned copies
of the Koran at a NATO base, triggering widespread anti-Western protests.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the rampage as
"intentional murders" and demanded an explanation from the United States. His
office said the dead included nine children and three women.
An Afghan minister earlier told Reuters that a lone U.S. soldier
had killed up to 16 people when he burst into homes in villages near his base in
the middle of the night.
Panjwayi district is about 35 km (22 miles) west of the
provincial capital Kandahar city. The district is considered the spiritual home
of the Taliban and is believed to be a hive of insurgent activity.
Haji Samad said 11 of his relatives were killed in one house,
including his children. Pictures showed blood-splattered walls where the
children were killed.
"They (Americans) poured chemicals over their dead bodies and
burned them," a weeping Samad told Reuters at the scene.
"I saw that all 11 of my relatives were killed, including my
children and grandchildren," said Samad, who had left the home a day earlier.
Neighbours said they awoke to crackling gunfire from American
soldiers, whom they described as laughing and drunk.
"They were all drunk and shooting all over the place," said
neighbour Agha Lala, who visited one of the homes where the incident took place.
"Their bodies were riddled with bullets."
A senior U.S. defence official said Defence Secretary Leon
Panetta "was deeply saddened to hear last night of this incident and is closely
monitoring reports out of Afghanistan." The White House also expressed concern.
The Afghan Taliban would take revenge for the deaths, the group
said in an e-mailed statement to media.
U.S.-AFGHAN TIES LIKELY TO PLUNGE FURTHER
The U.S. embassy in Kabul said an investigation was under way
into Sunday's shooting and that "the individual or individuals responsible for
this act will be identified and brought to justice".
The commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) General John Allen said he was "shocked and saddened" by the shooting,
and promised a rapid investigation.
The Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs Asadullah Khalid, who
is investigating the incident, said the soldier entered three homes, killing 11
people in the first one.
"The defence minister ... is deeply shocked and saddened by the
killings of 15 innocent civilians and the wounding of nine more at the hands of
the coalition forces," the Defence Ministry in Kabul said in a statement.
Civilian casualties have been a major source of friction between
Karzai's Western-backed government and U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The shootings could intensify friction between Washington and
Kabul as NATO prepares to hand over all security responsibilities to Afghans by
the end of 2014, a process which has already started.
The Koran burning and the violence that followed, including a
spate of deadly attacks against U.S. soldiers, tested brittle ties between the
governments of Karzai and President Barack Obama and underscored the challenges
that the West faces even as it moves to withdraw.
All foreign combat troops will withdraw by end-2014 from a
costly war that has become increasingly unpopular.
Courtesy : (Reuters)