Second BBC News
article:
US fears reprisals after Afghan massacre in Kandahar
Caption: [Afghan soldier at military base in Panjwai, Kandahar Angry crowds have been gathering outside military bases in Afghanistan following the shootings]
US troops in Afghanistan have been placed on alert following the killings of 16 Afghan civilians by a US soldier.
US officials warned of reprisals after the soldier went on a rampage in villages near a base in Kandahar. Nine children were among those killed.
President Barack Obama phoned his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai to express condolences. But Mr Karzai has said the massacre is "unforgivable".
And Taliban militants have vowed to avenge the deaths.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said a full investigation is under way.
The soldier, believed to be a staff sergeant, is reported to have walked off his base at around 03:00 Sunday (22:30 GMT Saturday).
In the villages of Alkozai and Najeeban, about 500m (1,640ft) from the base, he reportedly broke into three homes.
At one house in Najeeban, 11 people were found shot dead, and some of their bodies set alight. At least three of the child victims are reported to have been killed by a single shot to the head.
" There is a risk of anti-American feelings and protests in coming days, especially in the eastern and southern provinces”
The US military said reports indicated that the soldier returned to his base after the shootings and turned himself in. His motives are unclear - there is speculation that he might have been drunk or suffered a mental breakdown. But officers are worried that the attack might have been planned.
The soldier is being detained in Kandahar and the military is treating at least five people wounded in the attacks, officials said.
The detained soldier has not been identified, although US officials quoted by the Associated Press news agency said he was from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, 38 years old, married with two children, and had served three tours in Iraq and was on his first deployment in Afghanistan.
The killings come amid already high anti-US sentiment in Afghanistan following the burning of Korans at a Nato base in Kabul last month.
US officials have repeatedly apologised for the incident but they failed to quell a series of protests and attacks that killed at least 30 people and six US troops.
[...]
Angry tribal elders are now demanding an immediate end to US night raids on Afghan homes.
Afghan MPs passed a strong resolution to condemn the killing and demanded an open trial on Afghan soil. However, Afghanistan has signed an agreement with Nato that foreign soldiers should be tried in their own countries.
[...]
Is killing civilians inevitable in war?
The US embassy in Kabul is restricting the movements of staff in southern Afghanistan until at least 17:00 local time on Monday.
In a statement released by the White House on Sunday, President Obama said: "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."
Our correspondent says Afghan officials also fear there will be violent demonstrations and have deployed extra police and troops around Kandahar.
President Karzai described the killings as the "intentional killing of innocent civilians" and said they could "not be forgiven".
Carsten Jacobson, Isaf: "We were shocked and saddened to hear of the incident."
Summary of the dead:
- 16 total, 11 in one house.
- At least 3 women.
- Some number of elderly men.
- 9 children dead, including a 2 year old child.
- At least three children killed by single shot to the head.
So if I've tallied this up correctly, it's roughly: 9 kids, 3 women, 4 men. The usual response: 'tragic, shocking, saddening - but it should not reflect badly on our organisation, it should not detract from the exceptional work we have been doing, etc'.
Although this can't be construed as a combat scenario, I can't see them 'making an example of him', because even televised execution wouldn't placate the Afghans. I'm putting my imaginary money on Colton's scenario - 'it was just a temporary mental breakdown, let's send him to a high-security psychiatric facility for a few years'.
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