NATO Secretary General shocked by tragic incident in Afghanistan
NATO Secretary General expressed shock and "deep sadness" about the tragic incident in Kandahar Province, which caused the death of civilians, including women and children.
Rasmussen expressed his condolences to the families of the dead and wounded, as well as to the entire Afghan people and the government of the country. NATO Secretary General stressed that he supports the intention of ISAF commander John Allen to establish the facts of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.
According to the Secretary General, the alliance remains committed to building a stable and strong Afghanistan.
According to available information, a NATO soldier left his military unit in Kandahar province at night. Then he went alternately in three houses and opened fire on people. In total, he shot sixteen civilians, nine of them children and three women. It is reported that five more Afghans were injured.
Later this soldier was detained. He was arrested and interrogated. On the motives of the shooter is not yet known.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai called the incident a "premeditated murder." He demanded an explanation from the United States.
Barack Obama and the head of the US military department Leon Panetta expressed their condolences to the people of Afghanistan and Hamid Karzai in connection with this tragedy.
The killing of sixteen civilians is likely to exacerbate relations between the Afghan authorities and the US government. Relations between the two countries are already seriously complicated - after the US Army burned several copies of the Koran ( aviation Bagram base). After the burnt Korans were found in a garbage dump, a wave of violent protests, as well as attacks on NATO troops, took place in Afghanistan. During the unrest, two American officers were killed.
By 2014, NATO intends to fully transfer the entire territory of Afghanistan to the Afghan security forces. At the same time, the composition of the alliance troops will be significantly reduced in the country. The remaining limited NATO contingent will play only a supporting role, supporting national forces. Currently, the number of ISAF forces in Afghanistan is over 130.000 troops from twenty-eight NATO countries and twenty partner countries.
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