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War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: Obama: US soldier’s reported shooting rampage in Afghanistan ‘tragic and shocking’ President Barack Obama on Sunday condemned the alleged slaughter of 16 Afghan civilians by an American soldier as "tragic and shocking" and assured Afghan President Hamid Karzai by telephone that the United States will "hold fully accountable anyone responsible" as the bloody incident plunged already deteriorating ties into a fresh crisis. Obama called Karzai, who denounced the reported shooting rampage as an unforgivable "assassination," to make clear "his Administration's commitment to establish the facts as quickly as possible and to hold fully accountable anyone responsible," the White House said in a statement. Obama expressed "his shock and sadness" to Karzai at the incident, which news reports said left mostly women and children among the dead, and "reaffirmed our deep respect for the Afghan people and the bonds between our two countries," the White House said. Ahead of the call, Obama received a briefing on the incident from top aides including National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough, and Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan Doug Lute, according to National Security Council deputy spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden. Obama also issued a public statement saying he was "deeply saddened" by the reports and throwing his full support behind promises from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and General John Allen, who commands NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, for a full investigation. Allen said in a statement that the US service member alleged to have carried out the attack was in custody. The Associated Press reported that the suspect was from Fort Lewis, Wash. "This incident is tragic and shocking, and does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan. I fully support Secretary Panetta's and General Allen's commitment to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible," Obama said. The shooting rampage immediately reignited a debate over whether to hasten the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, where American-led forces are scheduled to hand over security to their hosts by the end of 2014. A new ABC News/Washington Post poll found US public sentiment against the war at near-record highs. "I offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and to the people of Afghanistan, who have endured too much violence and suffering," said the president. The tragedy came just days after Obama and Karzai spoke by video conference and agreed that tensions had "calmed" since the burning of Muslim holy books on a US base. That incident had sparked violent protests in Afghanistan and the killing of six US service members at the hands of their Afghan counterparts. It also led Obama to apologize for the desecration of the Qurans in an attempt to quiet clashes that he said endangered US military and civilian personnel. Republican presidential candidates, notably Newt Gingrich, condemned the apology. Panetta said in a statement that he had spoken to Karzai to offer "my deepest condolences" and that "a full investigation is already underway." "I gave President Karzai my assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice. We will spare no effort in getting the facts as quickly as possible, and we will hold any perpetrator who is responsible for this violence fully accountable under the law," said the defense secretary. "I condemn such violence and am shocked and saddened that a U.S. service member is alleged to be involved, clearly acting outside his chain of command," Panetta said. Panetta said the United States remained "steadfast in our resolve to work hand in hand with our Afghan partners." "I am fully committed to ensuring that our cooperation continues. It is essential to forging a more peaceful future for the citizens of both our nations," he added. Allen, who heads the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), offered his "profound regret and deepest condolences" and promised "a rapid and thorough investigation" as well as medical care for those injured in the shooting. "We will maintain custody of the U.S. service member alleged to have perpetrated this attack. And we will cooperate fully with local Afghan authorities as we ascertain all the facts," Allen said in a statement. "This deeply appalling incident in no way represents the values of ISAF and coalition troops or the abiding respect we feel for the Afghan people. Nor does it impugn or diminish the spirit of cooperation and partnership we have worked so hard to foster with the Afghan National Security Forces," Allen said. At a press conference last week, Obama had said that "the situation with the Quran burning concerns me. I think that it is an indication of the challenges in that environment, and it's an indication that now is the time for us to transition." He did not, however, say he would change his withdrawal timetable. But calls to speed up the US draw-down could come from Afghanistan as well as from the American public, which has deeply soured on the conflict. A narrow majority, 54 percent, of respondents in a new ABC News / Washington post poll say US troops should withdraw on time whether or not Afghan forces are self-sufficient. And the survey -- which was conducted on Saturday, before the reported killing spree — found that 60 percent of Americans say the war has not been worth fighting. That's just four points shy of the record 64 percent who said the same thing one year ago. Poster Comment: Just an illustration of the tremendous tensions US grunts are undergoing in a country where they serve no American purpose and are totally unwanted. The incident may be "tragic and shocking...deeply appalling" but no more so than US presidents and members of Congress sending troops there to fight Israel's Afghan enemies just so these politicians could be assured of Jew money, manpower, media and voter support at election time. The bizarre situation in which US and other NATO troops find themselves in is well illustrated in Yahoo's "front page" photo of an (almost funny) sandbagged fortification with make-shift plywood paneling to deflect grenades: http://news.yahoo.com/ Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 105.
#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
End it. Today. The day will never come as long as it's always "tomorrow," and we can't stay there forever.
The least we can do is put the man the horrible grunt was working for up, on war charges???? Right? Was this horrible monster over there on his own, free lancing????? Drag his sorry ass before the world, show them what a real monster looks like. Maybe Obama can wangle another "peace prize" out of this? Americans in their self righteous indignation will scorn this monster. We cannot have wars going on being waged privately. Shoot a hundred grunts over there, teach them a lesson, yes sir.
Bullshit. It isn't the grunts that deserve to be shot and taught "a lesson". It is the damned Zionist elites who work behind the scenes that should be shot. The actions of this American soldier is "tragic and shocking", but not for what he did. It is what we allowed to be created that caused the soldier to engage in a "tragic and shocking" act. How many more soldiers are we going to allow to go nuts over in that God forsaken Middle East before we realize what it is doing to our young? Wake up America and rid our country of the slimy evildoing manipulators and all those who do their bidding, i.e., our POTUS, his administration and every last member of Congress, save perhaps Ron Paul.
The soldiers that go nuts over in the Middle East will come home, become cops and go nuts on civilians in America because they've been drugged and conditioned to maim and murder. They'll be recognized as "heros" who are simply doing their "jobs."
Horse feathers!
Heck, I don't know what it's like in your town, but in mine, the high ranking cops are all military minded and have the mentality of terrorists and appear to percieve civilians as their enemy.
And let's not forget that police officers are civilians and that police departments are civilian entities.
Even Federal police can and do walk away ANYTIME THEY DESIRE. Therein lies the difference between military and civilian "pigs". I have seen what happens in the military to people that walk away because their conscience dictates.
Gotcha.
Jethro... I greatly dislike a blanket call of all police and military as "pigs". We all dislike "authority", particularly from the state. Society however has to protect itself from those that abuse and destroy. During your career I suspect you did or saw others that risked their own lives in some manner because it was right and proper. Pigs all? No.
By the end of the 60s, I was so used to being called a pig, I thought it was my god given name once I had a few belts of Johnny Walker Black in me :)
And all this time I thought "pigs" were loose women!!!
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