Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

16 Afghani Civilians Killed, Including 9 Children and 3 Women, Then Burned by US Soldiers in Panjwayi, Kandahar

 March 11, 2012

Sixteen Afghan Civilians Killed in US Shooting Spree

By Ahmad Nadem and Ahmad Haroon

Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:20pm EDT

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) -

One or more U.S. soldiers shot dead 16 civilians, including nine children according to Afghan officials, in Afghanistan's south on Sunday in what witnesses described as a massacre.

NATO said they had detained one U.S. soldier in the killings. U.S. officials said the soldier was a staff sergeant.

The incident, one of the worst of its kind since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, quickly inflamed the severely strained relations between Washington and Kabul.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said anti-U.S. reprisals were possible following the killings, which come weeks after U.S. soldiers burned copies of the Koran at a NATO base, triggering widespread anti-Western protests in which at least 30 people died.

Neighbors and relatives of the dead said they had seen a group of U.S. soldiers arrive at their village in Kandahar's Panjwayi district at about 2 a.m., enter homes and open fire.

A senior U.S. defense official in Washington rejected witness accounts that several apparently drunk soldiers were involved. "Based on the preliminary information we have this account is flatly wrong," the official said. "We believe one U.S. service member acted alone, not a group of U.S. soldiers."

An Afghan man who said his children were killed in the shooting spree accused soldiers of later burning the bodies.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he was deeply saddened. "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.

"INTENTIONAL MURDERS"

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.

Afghan officials gave varying accounts of the number of shooters involved in the incident. Karzai's office released a statement quoting a villager as saying "American soldiers woke my family up and shot them in the face."

Minister of Border and Tribal Affairs Asadullah Khalid said a U.S. soldier had burst into three homes near his base in the middle of the night, killing a total of 16 people including 11 people in the first house.

A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the U.S. soldier "walked back to the base and turned himself into U.S. Forces this morning", adding there had been no military operations taking place in the area when the incident occurred.

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 has been a hive of insurgent activity in recent years.

"I saw that all 11 of my relatives were killed, including my children and grandchildren," said a weeping Haji Samad, who said he had left his home a day earlier.

BLOOD-SPATTERED WALLS

The walls of the house were blood-splattered.

"They (Americans) poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them," Samad told Reuters at the scene.

Neighbors said they had awoken to crackling gunfire from American soldiers, who they described as laughing and drunk.

"They were all drunk and shooting all over the place," said neighbor Agha Lala, who visited one of the homes where killings took place.

"Their (the victims') bodies were riddled with bullets."

A senior U.S. defense official said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "was deeply saddened to hear last night of this incident and is closely monitoring reports out of Afghanistan."

Panetta offered his condolences to Karzai. "I condemn such violence and am shocked and saddened that a U.S. service member is alleged to be involved, clearly acting outside his chain of command," Panetta said in a statement. "A full investigation is already under way. A suspect is in custody and I gave President Karzai my assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice."

The Afghan Taliban said it would take revenge for the deaths, in an emailed statement to media.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said an investigation was under way 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.

Civilian casualties have been a major source of friction between Karzai's Western-backed government and U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan.

NATO is preparing 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, underscored the challenges that the West faces as it prepares to withdraw.

All foreign combat troops are scheduled to leave by end-2014.

(Reporting by Ahmad Nadem in KANDAHAR and Hamid Shalizi in KABUL; Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Andrew Roche and Bill Trott)

Afghanistan condemns killing of 16 civilians by U.S. soldier

KABUL, March 11, 2012 (Xinhua) --

The Afghan president on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of 16 civilians, including nine children and three women, by a U.S. soldier in the country's southern province of Kandahar, said a statement of Karzai's office.

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai in strongest terms condemned killing of 16 civilians by a U.S. troops in Kandahar province describing it as 'intentional killing of human'," the statement said.

Five more people were injured in the incident, which occurred in the wee hours Sunday in Zangabad village of Panjwayi district in the province some 450 km south of capital city Kabul, it added.

"The Afghan gov't had in the past strongly condemned civilian casualties that caused during the military operations by international forces that was called war on terrorism. But when a U.S. soldier intentionally kills innocent people, it could be described as an act of terror, which cannot be forgiven," Karzai said in the statement.

Previously, the Afghan Defense Ministry has condemned the killing by a soldier from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and called for the punishment of those responsible for the callous act.

Earlier on Sunday, the ISAF in a statement said that "a United States service member was detained today in connection to an incident that resulted in Afghan casualties in Kandahar province."

The security in-charge in southern region Assadullah Khalid who headed a delegation to probe the incident confirmed to Xinhua that a U.S. soldier who walked out his military base in Panjwayi district broke into three houses and opened indiscriminate fire on them.

In his statement, Karzai said that people of Afghanistan and the Afghan government asked the U.S. government to explain and clarify the incident in its earliest.

Karzai also made telephone calls to people who sustained injuries in the incident. An Afghan teenage namely Rafiullah told the president that an American soldier broke into their house in darkness and opened fire on his family after calling them to stand on their beds.

According to Khalid, the attacks took place at about 3:00 a.m. Sunday and the attacked houses were about 500 to 600 meters from the base located in Balandi area of the district.

Meantime, in a separate statement, ISAF top commander Gen. John R. Allen, currently visiting Washington, said he was shocked and saddened by the incident.

"I offer my 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 in the statement.

"In the meantime, we will continue to offer medical care for those who were injured in this shooting. We will maintain custody of the U.S. service member alleged to have perpetrated this attack. And we will cooperate fully with local Afghan authorities as we ascertain all the facts," the top U.S. commander said.

The shootout incident happened in the wake of the violent nationwide protests against the U.S. troops in Afghanistan after some Koran books were found burnt at a U.S. base, raising concerns over a new wave of demonstration in the making.

Editor: Mu Xuequan