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Afghanistan
Taliban vow revenge for U.S. soldier's rampage
2012-03-12
Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents on Monday vowed revenge against “sick minded American savages” for the weekend rampage by a U.S. soldier who killed 16 villagers in their homes.

The Taliban would “take revenge from the invaders and the savage murderers for every single martyr,” the Islamists said in a statement on their website.

The soldier walked off his base and broke into the homes of villagers in Kandahar provinceÂ’s Panjwayi district before dawn Sunday, killing 16 people including women and children.

A soldier has been detained and the United States has offered condolences to the families and pledged that action will be taken against anyone found guilty of the massacre. Kandahar is considered the birthplace of the Taliban.
Posted by:tipper

#16  Bet he gets court marshalled a hell of a lot sooner than Hasan does for the Ft Hood massacre.
Posted by: George Ebbeamp4828   2012-03-12 22:44  

#15  The suspect is now repor a US Iraq war veteran wid several tours there, + whom suffered a traumatic head injury after his HUV vehicle rolled over back in 2010.

HMMMMM, HMMMMM, maybe its just me but this News as above sounds awfully familiar, like I'd read it before on the MSM-Net time back.

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More from around the Net...

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > US FEARS REPRISALS AFTER AFGHAN MASSACRE IN KANDAHAR [US Troops placed on high alert]. Afghan MPS in Kabul are demanding that the US Suspect be tried in open trial locally.

* CHINA DAILY FORUM > AFGHAN "MYLAI": LOCALS CLAIM FOUR OF BURNT BODIES LIKELY TO BE GIRLS UNDER AGE OF SIX.

* SAME > [NYT] ATTACK WIDELY CONDEMNED BY AFGHANS AS US INVESTIGATES.

* BREAKING NEWS > US DEFENCE SECRETARY PANETTA: DEATH PENALTY POSSIBLE IN AFGHAN SHOOTING CASE.

* TOPIX > US "FUNDAMENTAL STARETGY" IN AFGHANISTAN WILL NOT CHANGE: PENTAGON, as due to this tragedy.

versus

* RUSSIA TODAY > SEVERAL DRUNK US TROOPS BEHIND BLOODBATH, LAUGHED AT SHOOTING SPREE, BURNED CORPSES.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2012-03-12 21:21  

#14  Regardless of this terrible incident, changing the ROE is not going to change the situation on the ground enough to warrant our staying in Afghanistan. We are not going to get them much past the 10th century in our lifetime other than cell phone use and modern weapons. I don't much care how quickly we leave, but leave we must. We are not going to use the weight of our military power there to wipe out large numbers to teach them who is boss. That is a fantasy. So any additional loss of US life will be an incredible waste. I don't want that to happen. Get. Out. Now.
Posted by: remoteman   2012-03-12 20:04  

#13  The soldier repor had just arrived in-theater shortly before the rampage, but seemingly was mentally or psychologically unprepared for duty.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2012-03-12 19:35  

#12  Anymore loosing the bubble than the joe in Norway?

It can be very calculating.
You'd die for your brothers on the line.
Why watch them die and get maimed because someone doesn't have the fortitude to do the job we did a hundred time above Germany or Japan '44-'45.
If you're willing to die for your brothers here and now, why not 10 years from now at a rope at Leavenworth. Your brothers get to survive where they may have not if you didn't do what you did.
That's where to RoEs start to break down.

That's when the command has to choose to bug out or do the job for what they take pay for or they resign or retire.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2012-03-12 16:06  

#11  Burn a Koran and its rioting everywhere. Kill 16 villagers and its threats. Shows their primitive priorites pretty clearly.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2012-03-12 15:45  

#10  (sound of banjos, dueling)
Posted by: mojo   2012-03-12 14:51  

#9  Northern Cousin, I'm not as quick to swallow the part line on this event - a PTSD case going off the deep end.
I postulate this is a man, not crazed, but tired nonetheless of Piss Poor ROE's and double dealing afghani's, cutting through the BS and delivering a blow.

I want to know more about the owners of the houses that were visited, could be it was a turn-coat who had somethnig coming to him. There have been several Americans killed by their afghan charges - WTF, who calls the shots on that?

We say "shame about the kids", but the value of young females in that culture is very low - I wouldn't be surprised if the children weren't killed by Afghani's following the event to capitalize on American sympathy's.
Posted by: Rob06   2012-03-12 14:48  

#8   "You cannot understand the pent up angst among the Afghan civilians unless you have been there."

Bullshit! It has everything to do with strategy, the mission, the conduct of daily operations, ....and winning! "There are no bad soldiers, only poor leaders." I know, I've seen both, and in more than one rodeo.

Posted by: Besoeker   2012-03-12 14:17  

#7  This is not about leadership, strategic vision, or "taking matters in their own hands". Its someone completely losing the bubble. Its rare that leaders can detect these guys ahead of the event, but in hindsight thier problems often are apparent. A few months ago an ANA officer shot a number of US military officers in a conference room in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility, but I expect it was really just another "postal event". Unfortunately these events have strategic consequences. You cannot understand the pent up angst among the Afghan civilians unless you have been there. So now, so much positive work will yet again be lost amid the furour. My heart goes out to all the US troops who have worked so hard, and yet will bear the brunt of the fall out from the insanity of a single man. Hang onto your berets.
Posted by: Northern Cousin   2012-03-12 13:49  

#6  You would waste precious Pig Grease on the Koran? Just have the Pigs eat it. Or feed it to a Goat.
Posted by: Charles   2012-03-12 11:17  

#5  Announce that for every American killed, we'll burn a book of allen using pig grease and use our left hands to light it.

Posted by: Silentbrick - Halliburton Lost Drill Bit Division   2012-03-12 08:46  

#4  ...two...
Posted by: Procopius2k   2012-03-12 08:06  

#3  Send him to Gitmo, rehab him, and then release him. Can't have too different standards for the same behavior now can we? /sarc off
Posted by: Procopius2k   2012-03-12 08:05  

#2  Kandahar is considered the birthplace of the Taliban.

I certainly do not know the details of this sad event. I do know that this area is hotly contested and many American and Canadian lives have been lost there. I also know that without effective leadership, a strategic plan and a hope of victory, warriors facing the continued losses of their brothers will sometimes take matters into their own hands. Doesn't make it right, it just makes it war, and war is very, very ugly.

Posted by: Besoeker   2012-03-12 07:50  

#1  Oh dear, the Taliban sound annoyed. Heaven forbid that they become violent with us in specific relation to this unfortunate incident.

Such violence would be lost in the background noise of the never-rending, sadistic, barbaric daily practices of the Afghan savages.
Posted by: Lone Ranger   2012-03-12 04:02  

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