US soldier shoots civilians dead in Afghanistan
Andy Davies
Home Affairs Correspondent
As a US soldier is held in custody after shooting dead Afghan civilians, a spokesman for Nato-led forces tells Channel 4 News the attack is “simply not understandable” and a “step back”.
Up to 16 people, including women and children, are believed to have been killed in the overnight shooting spree.
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) told Channel 4 News it could not confirm the number of fatalities.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the shootings as “international murders” and demanded an explanation.
The White House has said it is “deeply concerned”.
Isaf’s spokesman, Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson, told Channel 4 News an investigation is underway: “We need to find out the condition of the soldier, find out the motivation he had, find out if he talked to anybody in advance and if there were any signs he would commit such an act.
“We are aware that this case angers everybody – it angers every Isaf soldier.
“It is not only tragic, it is simply not understandable”
Brigadier General Jacobson said that the gunman was being held in US custody and would be investigated under the American legal system.
Former Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Channel 4 News now is the time for talks: “We need to bring forward the day of substantive serious negotiations with all of the parties to the Afghan conflict because everyone knows there only a negotiated way out of this conflict, there is no military solution.”
Civilian casualties have been a major source of friction between President Hamid Karzai’s government and US-led Nato forces in Afghanistan.
Anti-American sentiment is running high and it may deepen as news of the shooting spreads. The US Embassy in Kabul has warned of anti-American reprisals following the attack.
Read more: Why are British troops fighting in Afghanistan?
Anger gripped the country after US soldiers burned a large number of copies of the Koran at a Nato base last month.
Thirty people were killed in protests and Afghan forces turned their weapons on US soldiers, killing six.
Brigadier General Jacobson said there was no doubt that today’s events were a “step back” but that Isaf would “not slow down” on handing over power to the Afghans.
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