Allegations that an American servicemember went on a shooting spree that left at least 16 Afghan civilians dead have plunged relations between the two countries to a new low and threaten to test U.S. strategy to end the conflict.
The covered body of a person who was allegedly killed Sunday by a U.S. servicemember is seen inside a minibus in Panjwai, Kandahar province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan.
Allegations that an American servicemember went on a shooting spree that left at least 16 Afghan civilians dead have plunged relations between the two countries to a new low and threaten to test U.S. strategy to end the conflict.
Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the killings. Afghan and coalition officials are bracing for waves of anger from Afghans that could further damage the relationship between coalition forces and their Afghan partners as the United States draws down its forces there.
Sunday’s shooting in southern Afghanistan came after other incidents, including the inadvertent burning of Qurans at a U.S. base, that have angered Afghan civilians and government officials and touched off riots.
“The last couple of months I’ve been more concerned about our ability to accomplish the mission in Afghanistan than I have in a long time,” said Mark Jacobson, a former NATO official in Afghanistan at the German Marshall Fund.
Witnesses described a scene in which a gunman walked from home to home, killing men, women and children in a nearby village. The servicemember, whose name has not been released, then returned to his base and turned himself into authorities, the coalition command said Sunday. He remains in coalition custody and would likely be tried by U.S. military authorities.
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