American opens fire on Afghans, 15 dead

UPDATE

U.S. soldier kills Afghan civilians, officials say
From Sara Sidner, CNN
March 11, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: A local official says 16 people were killed when the soldier went house to house
ISAF's deputy commander calls it an "appalling incident"
The service member turns himself in after the shooting, an ISAF spokesman says
Tensions have been high since U.S. troops accidentally burned Qurans last month

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An American soldier left his base in Afghanistan and went from house to house in two villages, killing 16 people in their homes, a provincial official told CNN Sunday.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force confirmed that a soldier had gone off base and fired on civilians before turning himself in, but did not say how many victims there had been.

There has been confusion about the number of casualties since the shooting in Kandahar province, eastern Afghanistan, with different sources offering different numbers.

Regardless of the number of victims, the incident looks likely to inflame tensions still further between foreign troops and Afghan civilians, many of whom were enraged by the burning of Qurans by American troops last month.
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American opens fire on Afghans, 15 dead
By Heidi Vogt and Mirwais Khan - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 11, 2012 9:21:10 EDT

BALANDI, Afghanistan — A U.S. service member walked out of a base in southern Afghanistan before dawn Sunday and started shooting Afghan civilians, according to villagers and Afghan and NATO officials. Villagers showed an Associated Press photographer 15 bodies, including women and children, and alleged they were killed by the American.

The shooting looks certain to deepen strains between U.S. forces and their Afghan hosts after weeks of violence triggered by Americans burning Muslim holy books at a U.S. base. The burnings sparked violent protests and attacks that killed some 30 people. Six U.S. service members have been killed in attacks by their Afghan colleagues since the Quran burnings came to light.

NATO officials apologized for Sunday’s shootings.
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