US vows to probe Afghanistan shooting rampage

Obama expresses condolences over killing of 16 civilians by American soldier that has added extra strain to tense ties. Last Modified: 12 Mar 2012 11:42 inShare11

The US president has called his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, to express his condolences after a US soldier in Afghanistan wandered off base and killed more than a dozen villagers in their homes. The US has also promised a full investigation into Sunday's rampage in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, which left 16 civilians, who included three women and nine children, dead. "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," Barack Obama said in a statement released on Sunday by the White House. Separately, Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, pledged to "bring those responsible to justice" and said a full investigation was under way. The US embassy in Kabul has sent out an alert to its citizens in Afghanistan cautioning that as a result of the shooting, "there is a risk of anti-American feelings and protests in coming days". Karzai's condemnation For his part, Karzai condemned the killings as "unforgivable" and demanded an explanation from the US government. "When Afghan people are killed deliberately by US forces this action is murder and terror and an unforgivable action," he said in statement. The shootings come at a particularly sensitive and critical time for the US, just as violence over the burning of copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, at a US base was starting to calm down. Afghan analyst discusses US soldier's shooting spree At least 41 people were killed in violence related to those protests. Senior US officials were scrambling to determine what caused the soldier to go on a shooting spree after leaving his base in southern Afghanistan, apparently heavily armed and carrying night-vision equipment. Officials confirmed that the soldier was being detained in Kandahar and that the military was treating at least five wounded people. Obama said he was "deeply saddened" by the incident. "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," he said in the written statement. One US official said the soldier, an army staff sergeant, was believed to have acted alone and that initial reports indicated he returned to the base after the shooting and turned himself in. General John Allen, the US military commander in Afghanistan, issued a statement pledging a "rapid and thorough investigation" into the incident, and said the soldier will remain in US custody. Three houses targeted Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Herat on Sunday, said the soldier entered three houses near the base and opened fire on civilians. "We are now being told by the police sources that the US soldier left his base at three o'clock this morning. It would have been pitch-black wherever he walked," he said. "The soldier went through three separate houses, shooting at people as they slept in their beds. After the soldier shot these people, he turned himself in. "It is frankly disastrous. It is not just a disaster for the people who were murdered and killed in their houses, it is disaster for the country I suspect." Najeeb Azizi, a Kabul-based Afghan analyst, said the shooting will have deep repercussions on the already tenuous relations with the US. “It is a very tragic incident in particular because the Afghan and US governments are trying to sign a strategic agreement for a long term," he said. "A very bad message the Afghan people are getting, that if US military remains in Afghanistan beyond 2014 and their attitude and behaviour remains the same - of killing innocent civilians - what will be the consequences, and how will the Afghan people respond to it."

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies