Taliban Vows Revenge For US Soldier's Attack

The Taliban has threatened revenge attacks after an American soldier killed 16 civilians, including nine children, in Afghanistan.
In a statement on their website, Taliban militants said they would "take revenge from the invaders and the savage murderers for every single martyr".
"A large number from amongst the victims are innocent children, women and the elderly, martyred by the American barbarians who mercilessly robbed them of their precious lives and drenched their hands with their innocent blood," the statement said.
The US embassy in Kabul has issued an alert, saying there is a risk of anti-American protests in coming days.
Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from Kabul, said: "The Afghan government is absolutely furious about this and there are expectations of protests to come."
The embassy alert comes after US President Barack Obama called the incident "tragic and shocking".
In a written statement, Mr Obama said: "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.
"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."
The president offered his full backing to a US investigation "to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible".
The US leader has spoken to Afghan President Hamid Karzai , who earlier demanded an explanation for what he termed an "assassination" that "cannot be forgiven."
According to the New York Times , the attacker broke into three homes after he walked more than a mile from his base.
It said that 11 victims were in one home and included four girls under the age of six.
US defence secretary Leon Panetta also assured Mr Karzai in a phone call that a "full investigation" was under way.
"A suspect is in custody, and I gave President Karzai my assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice," Mr Panetta said.
The defence secretary added that he is "shocked and saddened that a US service member... clearly acting outside his chain of command" has been linked to the incident.
Mr Panetta said he told Mr Karzai "that the American people share the outrage" felt by the Afghan leader and his people.
The gunman was believed to be a lone rogue soldier from Joint Base Lewis-McChord , near Tacoma in Washington state, who went from house to house in two villages in southern Kandahar during the night.
Officials said the shooting began at around 3am on Sunday, and neighbours said they awoke to crackling gunfire and that the soldier had appeared drunk.
Relatives of the victims claimed chemicals were poured over the dead bodies to burn them. Pictures of the scene appeared to show the remains of burning in at least one of the houses.
Other pictures showed blood-splattered walls where the children died.
The gunman, reported to be an army sergeant with possible mental health problems, returned to his base after the spree and is said to have turned himself in.
Sky's Ramsay said the soldier was involved in "village stabilisation operations", in which army personnel supported special force Green Berets.
Ramsay said: "Their job is to create, in effect, an armed neighbourhood watch that work with trusted village elders."
US officials confirmed the suspect in custody was a "conventional soldier" and not an elite Green Beret.
The soldier's base in Washington state, home to about 100,000 military and civilian personnel, was described as the America's "most troubled base" by military newspaper Stars and Stripes .
It added that the major US army unit in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province is the 1st Stryker Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division.
In 2010, four Lewis-McChord soldiers were convicted in the deliberate killings of three Afghan civilians and in a separate incident a former soldier shot and injured a Utah police officer.
Last January, a 24-year-old Lewis-McChord soldier who served in Iraq sparked a man hunt after he shot and killed a park ranger in Washington.
The Panjwayi district is about 20 miles west of the provincial capital of Kandahar and is considered the spiritual home of the Taliban and a hive of insurgent activity.
International forces have fought for control of the area for years as they have tried to subdue the militants in their rural strongholds.
The two villages where the rampage happened, Balandi and Alkozai, are around 500m from the US base.
The US commander of the Nato -led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) vowed to hold "fully accountable" anyone found responsible for the "deeply appalling" killings.
"I am absolutely dedicated to making sure that anyone who is found to have committed wrong-doing is held fully accountable," General John Allen said.
The incident adds new tensions to a relationship already severely strained over US forces burning Muslim holy books on a base in Afghanistan.
Although US officials apologised and said the burning was an accident, the incident sparked violent protests and attacks.
Six American soldiers have been killed in attacks by their Afghan colleagues since the Koran burnings came to light. Britain also pulled out civilian advisers from buildings in Kabul as protests spread.
The controversy followed an outrage over a video showing US marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters.




Source:http://uk.news.yahoo.com/obama-vows-swift-probe-afghan-gun-spree-014306659.html


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