U.S. SOLDIER KILLS 16 AFGHAN CIVILIANS IN SHOOTING SPREE.
Soldier killed 16 civilians in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON A U.S. soldier’s shooting of over a dozen Afghan civilians represents another flashpoint from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that could inflame sentiment against the United States abroad.
Local officials said 16 civilians, including nine children and three women, were killed in a nighttime shooting spree Sunday near a U.S. base in southern Afghanistan. U.S. officials said an American staff sergeant was in custody after the attack on villagers in three houses.
The incident, believed to be one of the worst of its kind since the U.s.-led military invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, could cause diplomatic problems for the United States as NATO prepares to hand over all security responsibilities to Afghans by the end of 2014.
Following are some other incidents from Afghanistan and Iraq, where the last U.S. soldiers left in December.
February, 2012: Afghan workers found burned copies of the Qur’an at a U.S. military base near Kabul, triggering angry protests against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. In a letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, President Barack Obama apologized for the burning of the Muslim holy book, and the administration has ordered an investigation. Muslims treat each copy of the Qur’an with deep reverence.
January, 2012: A video appeared to show U. S. troops urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The desecration video, posted on Youtube and other websites, appeared to show four U.S. Marines in camouflage uniforms urinating on three corpses. One joked, “Have a nice day, buddy” while another made a lewd joke.
Karzai condemned the video, calling the actions “inhuman” and demanding an investigation. U.S. and NATO military commanders also condemned the actions, and the U.S. Marine Corps has moved toward possible changes against the four.
Sept. 16, 2007: A group of Blackwater Worldwide security guards were accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians as they escorted a heavily armed convoy of U.S. diplomats in Baghdad. The guards, all U.S. military veterans, were responding to a car bombing when gunfire erupted at a crowded intersection. The shooting outraged Iraqis and strained relations between the two countries.
A criminal case in Washington, D.C., brought by the U.S. Justice Department against the five men was reinstated by a U.S. appeals court last year. The case is pending.