A U.S. soldier walked off base in the Kandahar Province of Afghanistan and went on a shooting rampage, killing 16 people. It is unknown what pushed this soldier over the edge. U.S. officials vow to get to the bottom of the incident.
Is an act like this terrorism, even though it is in a war zone? Perhaps. I don’t know what else to call the killing of unarmed civilians.
According to the Washington Post:
President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called Karzai on Sunday to discuss the incident. Obama expressed “shock and sadness” and vowed to “hold fully accountable anyone responsible” for the killings, the White House said in a statement.
“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,” Obama said.
U.S. officials shed no light on the motive or state of mind of the alleged shooter. The Associated Press reported Sunday that the suspect was from Fort Lewis, in Washington state. He was taken into custody shortly after the shooting rampage.
“It appears he walked off post and later returned and turned himself in,” said Lt. Cmdr. James Williams, a military spokesman.
What causes this kind of fugue from reality? American troops will be on high alert across the region following the incident. Things were just calming down from the Koran burning incidents where locals rioted and fired on US troops for days. This rogue soldier’s behavior has endangered all of our troops.
