President Obama and U.S. officials
offered their condolences for the alleged shooting of civilians by a
U.S. service member in Afghanistan amid fears the incident could trigger
another wave of anti-American violence in the region and fuel a push to
abandon the war-worn country.
Tensions between the U.S. and Afghanistan
had appeared to be easing after Americans burning Korans last month
sparked deadly protests across the country.
"This is a fatal hammer blow on the U.S.
military mission in Afghanistan. Whatever sliver of trust and
credibility we might have had following the burnings of the Koran is now
gone," said David Cortright, the director of policy studies at Notre
Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and an advocate
for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Residents said Sunday's attack began around 3
a.m. in two villages 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 villages are about 500 yards from
a U.S. base in a region that was the focus of Obama's military surge
strategy in the south starting in 2009.
Villagers described cowering in fear as
gunshots rang out as a soldier stalked house after 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, and nine of
the victims were children.
U.S. officials said the shooter, identified
as an Army staff sergeant, acted alone, leaving his base in southern
Afghanistan and opening fire on sleeping families in two villages.
Initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and
turned himself in. He was in custody at a NATO base in Afghanistan.
The suspect, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord,
Wash., was assigned to support a special operations unit of either Green
Berets or Navy SEALs engaged in a village stability operation, said a
U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the
investigation is still ongoing.
Such operations are among NATO's best hopes
for transitioning out of Afghanistan, pairing special operations troops
with villagers chosen by village elders to become essentially a
sanctioned, armed neighborhood watch.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby told Fox
News the American soldier is in his mid-30's and had been deployed to
Iraq twice before his first mission in Afghanistan. The soldier is
reportedly married with two children.
President Obama issued condolences after the incident, saying he is "deeply saddened" by the attacks.
U.S. officials briefed Obama earlier in the
day after an unnamed soldier was detained by his unit following an
alleged targeting of as many as 16 Afghan civilians in two neighboring
villages.
"This incident is tragic and shocking, and
does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the
respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan," Obama
said in a statement. "I offer my condolences to the families and loved
ones of those who lost their lives, and to the people of Afghanistan,
who have endured too much violence and suffering.
The president said he also supports a
military investigation to "get the facts as quickly as possible and hold
accountable anyone responsible."
"We are deeply concerned by the initial reports of this incident, and are monitoring the situation closely," White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby told Fox
News the suspect is currently being interviewed and promises a thorough
but "very rapid" investigation.
"We're going to let the facts and the
evidence take us wherever they need to take us to figure out exactly
what happened," Kirby said.
Motive for the attacks has yet to be determined.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said an investigation is already underway and a suspect is in custody.
"I gave (Afghan) President (Hamid) Karzai my
assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice," Panetta
said in a statement. "We will spare no effort in getting the facts as
quickly as possible, and we will hold any perpetrator who is responsible
for this violence fully accountable under the law."
NATO officials apologized for the shootings but did not confirm that anyone was killed, referring instead to reports of deaths.
"I wish to convey my profound regrets and
dismay at the actions apparently taken by one coalition member in
Kandahar province, said a statement from Lt. Gen. Adrian Bradshaw, the
deputy commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
"One of our soldiers is reported to have
killed and injured a number of civilians in villages adjacent to his
base. I cannot explain the motivation behind such callous acts, but they
were in no way part of authorized ISAF military activity," he said,
using the abbreviation for NATO's International Security Assistance
Force.
Reports are conflicting as to the number
dead as Afghan villagers showed to press photographers bodies covered in
blankets as well as burned. Nine children and three women are said to
be among the dead. It was unclear how or why the bodies were burned.
The incident comes after some very tense
weeks in which riots raged over the accidental improper disposal of
Korans that had been defaced by Afghan detainees.
The top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John
R. Allen, issued a statement saying that he is "absolutely dedicated to
making sure that anyone who is found to have committed wrongdoing is
held fully accountable."
The head of the ISAF added that he was
"shocked and saddened to hear" about the incident and offered his
"profound regret and deepest condolences to the victims and their
families."
"I pledge to all the noble people of
Afghanistan my commitment to a rapid and thorough investigation," Allen
said, adding that the U.S. will maintain custody of the service member,
provide medical care to injured Afghans and "cooperate fully with local
Afghan authorities as we ascertain all the facts."
"This deeply appalling incident in no way
represents the values of ISAF and coalition troops or the abiding
respect we feel for the Afghan people. Nor does it impugn or diminish
the spirit of cooperation and partnership we have worked so hard to
foster with the Afghan National Security Forces," he added.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul tweeted videotaped
condolences in the primary languages of Pashto and Dari. It also warned
Americans in the country to beware of the "risk of anti-American
feelings and protests in coming days, especially in eastern and southern
provinces."
"U.S. citizens in Afghanistan should remain
vigilant and avoid areas where Westerners congregate. Avoid large public
gatherings or demonstrations. Past demonstrations in Afghanistan have
escalated into violent attacks on Western targets of opportunity.
"Do not discuss travel plans or other
personal matters with strangers, or in public. Be alert and aware of
your surroundings, and always travel with mobile phones or appropriate
communication equipment," the warning reads.
The alleged shootings are likely to spark
more violence after a calm returned following the Koran burnings of last
month. That accidental incident led to more than a week of rioting,
which resulted in 30 people dead, including six U.S. service members who
were killed by their Afghan colleagues.
The killing of U.S. service members by
Afghan forces had already been a major concern in Afghanistan, where
since May 2007, 46 "green on blue" attacks -- or Afghan National
Security Forces attacks on allied service members -- has reportedly
resulted in 76 NATO soldiers killed and an undisclosed number wounded.
Karzai called the attacks an "assassination"
and angrily demanded an explanation. Karzai said he spoke with a
15-year-old boy named Rafiullah who was shot in the leg during the
incident. The boy described how an American soldier entered his house in
the middle of the night, woke up his family and began shooting them.
"This is an assassination, an intentional
killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven," Karzai said in a
statement that is sure to incite more violence.
As violence erupts, U.S. officials have
debated a faster exit strategy from Afghanistan, which is supposed to be
left to fend for itself by 2014. In anticipation of that departure, the
U.S. and Afghan governments signed a memorandum of understanding
recently about the transfer of Afghan detainees to Afghan control -- a
key step toward an eventual strategic partnership to govern U.S. forces
in the country.
Sen. John McCain, the ranking Republican on
the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the alleged incident cannot be
explained "except to extend your deepest sympathy to those victims and
see that justice is done."
But, he added, the U.S. is in Afghanistan because that's where the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, originated.
"If Afghanistan dissolved into a situation
where the Taliban were able to take over or a chaotic situation, it
could easily return to an Al Qaeda base for attacks on the United States
of America. That is still our goal, as it was the day we went in,"
McCain said.
Panjawi, the town where the alleged shootings occurred, is inside a rural Taliban stronghold, and is just south of the birthplace of the militant group's senior leaders, including chief Mullah Omar.
Panjawi is a launching point for attacks on neighboring Kandahar City
and is a key to securing the province, one of the most difficult
battlegrounds in the country.
The Taliban issued a statement on an insurgent website expressing concern for the villagers.
"The so-called American peacekeepers have
once again quenched their thirst with the blood of innocent Afghan
civilians in Kandahar province," said the statement
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/11/us-offers-condolences-as-us-service-member-investigated-for-alleged-killing/#ixzz1ovJpa6UH
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