Rogue US soldier goes on rampage in Afghanistan

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**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

From BBC news

A US soldier in Afghanistan has killed 10 civilians and wounded five in Kandahar province after suffering a breakdown, officials say.

He left his military base in the early hours of the morning and opened fire after entering local homes; women and children are said to be among the dead.

Nato said it was investigating the "deeply regrettable incident".

Anti-US sentiment is already high in Afghanistan after US soldiers burnt copies of the Koran last month.

US officials have apologised repeatedly for the incident at a Nato base in Kabul, but they failed to quell a series of protests and attacks that killed at least 30 people and six US troops.

Local people have reportedly gathered near the base in Panjwai district to protest about Sunday's killings, and the US embassy is advising against travel to the area.

Investigation

The soldier has not been named, but is thought to be a staff sergeant.

He walked off his base at around 03:00 local time (22:30 GMT Saturday).

According to a resident quoted by Associated Press, he opened fire in three separate houses in the village of Alkozai.

"I heard gunshots and then silence and then gunshots again," Abdul Baqi said.

Local tribal leaders said women and children were among the dead.

The BBC's Quentin Somerville in Kabul says the death toll could rise as high as 17.

A delegation from the provincial governor's office has arrived in the village to determine what has happened, a spokesman said.

After carrying out the killings, the soldier reportedly handed himself over to the US military authorities.

The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said in a statement that US officials in Afghanistan would work with their Afghan counterparts to investigate what happened.

"This is a deeply regrettable incident and we extend our thoughts and concerns to the families involved," Isaf added.

Meanwhile, in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said his government still expects to sign a strategic partnership with the United States in the next couple of months.

In a televised speech, he said discussions would continue on the precise role the US will play in Afghanistan after Nato hands over security responsibility to Kabul at the end of 2014.

On Friday, Kabul and Washington reached a deal to transfer US-run prisons in the country to Afghan control.

**SilverMK2**

Leading the campaign for hearts and minds eh?

I hope that this doesn't start something ugly in the region...

**Orlanth**

It will sadly.

US soldier murdering civilians on a whim. How dare he, that the Talibans job.

**hotsauceman1**

When our soldiers start acting like i think it means we may have spent to much on this war.

**Hazardous Harry**

It won't help that the punishment for the offending US soldier isn't going to be either swift or severe enough to satiate the obvious hurt and sense of betrayal in this case.

It's unlikely to come to a death penalty, and even if it does that would take years of legal wrangling and several different courtrooms. Both far too removed and delayed for the local populace to feel that any sort of justice has been dealt out.
And that's assuming this won't become another case of Lieutenant Calley.

**WarOne**

Chances are the soldier is going to get life imprisonment in a military prison. The military would not think even twice of handing him over to the Afghan authorities over this matter.

On the other hand, it would be interesting to see what our politicians say....

**Hazardous Harry**

WarOne wrote:Chances are the soldier is going to get life imprisonment in a military prison. The military would not think even twice of handing him over to the Afghan authorities over this matter.

On the other hand, it would be interesting to see what our politicians say....

Absolutely no chance at that, there's no real trust between the Afghan government and the US, certainly not in the public eye. It would be political suicide for whoever supported handing the soldier over.

**biccat**

All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

**SilverMK2**

biccat wrote:All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

So some soldier goes nuts and guns down civilians and it should be swept under the rug? I'm pretty sure that it is being reported across the entire middle east regardless of whether western news companies are running the story...

**purplefood**

biccat wrote:All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

Yeah becuase that's the bad thing here...

**CuddlySquig**

To kill civilians without a license is a terrible crime that causes a huge regional upheaval.

But if you have a license the way the warring sectarian factions do, you can hurl a live grenade into a packed mosque and the locals won't even blink.

**Melissia**

I'm fairly certain the locals hate that too, it just doesn't get press because the US is more important than the local sectarian violence dealers.

**Electro**

biccat wrote:All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

Shock horror. BBC news reports news in an independant way about a horrific event rather than covering stuff up.

**dogma**

biccat wrote:
Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

It seems they simply said a particular soldier did a particular thing.

I didn't see many plural nouns, relevant to soldiers, in that article.

**Ahtman**

I love that a man can gun people down in cold blood and the real tragedy for some is that it is reported.

**Orlanth**

hotsauceman1 wrote:When our soldiers start acting like i think it means we may have spent to much on this war.

We don't yet know why. He may have just gone postal in the US instead, most issues like this are personal at heart.

**LoneLictor**

biccat wrote:All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

Yes, the news should only report on things that make America look good. Why, it's unpatriotic to do otherwise!

**SlaveToDorkness**

Get them out NOW! Screw those lousy ;$&@wads.

**feeder**

Is it bad/racist/otherwise that I thought "At least he lost his gak over there instead of coming home and doing it here" ?

**Red Comet**

This is really regrettable that it occurred, but it just goes to show how grating Afghan can be on the soldiers. This guy probably already had some mental instability and if he didn't I truly feel bad for him because war has pushed him far, very far.

**Orlanth**

Electro wrote:
biccat wrote:All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

Shock horror. BBC news reports news in an independant way about a horrific event rather than covering stuff up.

Actually that would be hard to cover up without making things a lot worse by leaning very heavily on the local populace.

The BBC has a bad record of giving away too much though.

In the Falklands War the BBC decided to be 'fearless pursuers of truth' and revealed to the public why tghe Argentine bombs were not detonating. This told the public nothing of real importance, but was invaluable info for the Argentines who fixed the problem decreasing the percentage of unexploded ordnance from 75% to near nothing.
Thanks BBC.

**Albatross**

It's called 'news', Orlanth. This 'news' is often 'reported' by 'journalists' via the 'media'. It's not a conspiracy to make your heroes look bad/get killed.

**mattyrm**

biccat wrote:All the stuff that happens over there, and this is what gets reported.

Thanks to the BBC for helping to spread news that disparages troops in the region.

Ah come on Bic, I mean, feth me, I'm all for keeping an eye out for the troops, but some bloke going ape gak and slotting a load of civvies is hardly the BBCs fault is it?!

**deathholydeath**

feeder wrote:Is it bad/racist/otherwise that I thought "At least he lost his gak over there instead of coming home and doing it here" ?

No. That's entirely sane. If someone must die, better them than us, correct? That's just logical selfishness.

**Orlanth**

Albatross wrote:It's called 'news', Orlanth. This 'news' is often 'reported' by 'journalists' via the 'media'. It's not a conspiracy to make your heroes look bad/get killed.

You miss the point Albatross, it would make sense not to report sometimes. It also makes sense to censor. This one came out before the government could slab a D-Notice down, or overlooked. The why's of the unexploded ordnance dont mean anything to the public.
This alongside 'yellow press' is one of the reasons why we now have 'embedded journalists' in major operations. Its effectively a synonym for media control.

Why do you insist on assuming I think its a conspiracy? It would help if you read the text as opposed to glancing at it and making unrelated assumptions on the content.

**ifStatement**

heh. It's nice to know the gak ton of money I pay on my TV licence is put to hardcore unbiased journalism even when it means your own peoples lives get put in danger.

As for the story. It just goes to show for all the bad guys who the military are out there getting rid of we still have witches on our side too.

**dogma**

Orlanth wrote:
This alongside 'yellow press' is one of the reasons why we now have 'embedded journalists' in major operations. Its effectively a synonym for media control.

No, it isn't.

The influence of the media on military operations predates the embedded journalist by a long, long time.

William Randolph Hearst was a person, you see.

Orlanth wrote:
Why do you insist on assuming I think its a conspiracy?

Probably because you say things that make it appear as though you do.

**d-usa**

I expect to hear the usual "they go nuts and kill our soldiers, serves them right, more soldiers should just go kill them" from my messed up coworkers.

It really is time to get the heck out of there.

**Jakka**

Albatross wrote:It's called 'news', Orlanth. This 'news' is often 'reported' by 'journalists' via the 'media'. It's not a conspiracy to make your heroes look bad/get killed.

I think you should read his post more closely.

**Dark Apostle 666**

This is why the armed forces need commissars.

Seriously though, you have to wonder why no-one noticed any warning signs, not that there necessarily were any, but...