A US serviceman walked out of his base in southern Afghanistan yesterday and shot dead 16 civilians, including nine children, in one of the worst atrocities committed by western forces since the fall of the Taliban.
The mass murder raised fears of a fresh backlash against the US. Tempers are running high after furious protests triggered by the discovery of burnt copies of the Koran at a US base. The killing spree renewed concerns that the mistrust that divides Afghans and their allies could derail the west’s strategy for winding down its combat role in 2014.
US officials rushed to pledge that the shooter would face justice, hoping to diminish the risk of a new outbreak of Afghan anger. Barack Obama, US president, described it as a “tragic and shocking” incident, but said it did not represent the character of the US military or the respect the US had for Afghan people.