US Soldier Massacred Afghani Civilians Out to Kuwait, Afghans Protest

The US soldier who had committed a horrible massacre last week has been flown out of Afghanistan to Kuwait.

The American CBS channel quoted a US military official who informed that "the American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians on a shooting spree is heading to Kuwait."
Speaking on condition of anonymity because the information had not yet been publicly announced, the official said that "the soldier has been flown to a pretrial confinement facility."

CBS News correspondent David Martin reported that US War Department spokesman Capt. John Kirby claimed that "the suspect was moved because we do not have an appropriate detention facility in Afghanistan and that the move was made on the legal recommendation of the command's lawyer."
A second official told Martin that "the move was done with the knowledge and approval of Afghani President Hamid Karzai."

"The suspect's removal Wednesday came hours after surveillance video was released showing him walking up to his base, laying down his weapon and raising his arms in surrender," according to an Afghan official who viewed the footage.
The official said Wednesday "there were also two to three hours of video footage covering the time of the attack that Afghan investigators are trying to get from Meanwhile, Afghans took to the streets of the southern town Qalat in Zabul province to protest the killings, shouting anti-American slogans.
The protesters, about 1000 of them and carrying white flags, demanded a public trial for the shooter.
The protest came amid reports that US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is due to hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul in efforts to ease the intensifying tensions between the two countries.
the US military."

Last Sunday, a US soldier opened fire on Afghan civilians inside their homes in the district of Panjwaii in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 16 civilians and injuring several others.

Local witnesses, however, put the number of the victims at 18, insisting that nearly a dozen bodies of the Afghan victims were burnt after they were shot dead.

Meanwhile, Afghans took to the streets of the southern town Qalat in Zabul province to protest the killings, shouting anti-American slogans.

The protesters, about 1000 of them and carrying white flags, demanded a public trial for the shooter.
The protest came amid reports that US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is due to hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul in efforts to ease the intensifying tensions between the two countries.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org