After an American soldier attacked and killed 16 Afghan civilians Monday, the Taliban vowed revenge – fueling their growing dislike for U.S. Troops who only last month came under fire for burning the Koran.
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According to the Associated Press, U.S. troops in Afghanistan have stepped up their security efforts following the shootings Sunday in Kandahar province out of concern for retaliatory attacks.
The soldier suspected of carrying out the attack is from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and 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.
The Taliban said in a statement on their website 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.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and said the 16 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 Sunday.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta both called Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday to express their shock and sadness, and offered condolences to the grieving families and to the people of Afghanistan.
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.” He vowed “to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible.”
This latest incident doesn’t help the situation in Afghanistan; it only worsens the ongoing conflict in the region.
