Taliban vows revenge for US soldier's killing spree
Source: Agencies |
March 13, 2012, Tuesday
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THE Taliban yesterday vowed revenge after an American soldier allegedly shot 16 civilians dead in southern Afghanistan and burned their bodies, an attack that has fueled anger still simmering after US troops burned Qurans last month.
US-led forces in Afghanistan have stepped up security following the shootings in Kandahar province. The US Embassy has also warned American citizens in Afghanistan about possible reprisals.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for several attacks last month that the group said were retaliation for the Americans burning Qurans. Afghan forces also turned their guns on their supposed allies at the time, killing six US troops as violent protests wracked the country.
Sunday's attack is likely to spark even greater distrust between Washington and Kabul and fuel questions about why American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan after 10 years of conflict and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
The Taliban said in a statement that "sick-minded American savages" committed the "blood-soaked and inhumane crime" in Panjwai district, a rural region outside Kandahar that is the cradle of the Taliban and where coalition forces have fought for control for years.
The militant group promised the families of the victims it would take revenge "for every single martyr with the help of Allah."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and said the dead included nine children and three women. Five other villagers were wounded.
"This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said.
US and Afghan officials said the attack began around 3am in two villages fairly close to a US base in a region that was the focus of President Barack Obama's military surge in the south starting in 2009.
Villagers described how they cowered in fear as gunshots rang out while the soldier roamed from house to house firing on those inside. They said he entered three homes in all and set fire to some of the bodies. Eleven of the dead were from a single family.
The burning of the bodies may ignite even more outrage because it is seen as the desecration of corpses and therefore against Islam.
US officials said the shooter, an Army staff sergeant, acted alone after leaving his base in southern Afghanistan. Initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and turned himself in.
The soldier suspected of carrying out the attack is from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, said a US official.
In a statement released by the White House, Obama called the attack "tragic and shocking" and not representative of "the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan."
US-led forces in Afghanistan have stepped up security following the shootings in Kandahar province. The US Embassy has also warned American citizens in Afghanistan about possible reprisals.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for several attacks last month that the group said were retaliation for the Americans burning Qurans. Afghan forces also turned their guns on their supposed allies at the time, killing six US troops as violent protests wracked the country.
Sunday's attack is likely to spark even greater distrust between Washington and Kabul and fuel questions about why American troops are still fighting in Afghanistan after 10 years of conflict and the killing of Osama bin Laden.
The Taliban said in a statement that "sick-minded American savages" committed the "blood-soaked and inhumane crime" in Panjwai district, a rural region outside Kandahar that is the cradle of the Taliban and where coalition forces have fought for control for years.
The militant group promised the families of the victims it would take revenge "for every single martyr with the help of Allah."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and said the dead included nine children and three women. Five other villagers were wounded.
"This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said.
US and Afghan officials said the attack began around 3am in two villages fairly close to a US base in a region that was the focus of President Barack Obama's military surge in the south starting in 2009.
Villagers described how they cowered in fear as gunshots rang out while the soldier roamed from house to house firing on those inside. They said he entered three homes in all and set fire to some of the bodies. Eleven of the dead were from a single family.
The burning of the bodies may ignite even more outrage because it is seen as the desecration of corpses and therefore against Islam.
US officials said the shooter, an Army staff sergeant, acted alone after leaving his base in southern Afghanistan. Initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and turned himself in.
The soldier suspected of carrying out the attack is from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, said a US official.
In a statement released by the White House, Obama called the attack "tragic and shocking" and not representative of "the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan."
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