The Black Vault

A U.S. soldier walked off his base in Afghanistan and opened fire on local villagers Sunday, Afghan and U.S. officials said, killing 16 people in a shooting spree that further complicates American efforts to end its longest foreign war.
[AFGHAN]

The soldier, who allegedly gunned down his victims—most of them women and children—about a mile from the U.S. base in the Panjway district of Kandahar province, surrendered and is now in U.S. custody. His identity hasn't been disclosed.

"When the Americans are killing civilians intentionally, this is called terror and it is an unforgivable act," Afghan President Hamid Karzai said. President Barack Obama called the Afghan leader to express his "shock and sadness" and to make clear Washington's commitment to "hold fully accountable anyone responsible."

greeney2 wrote:Why did he do it? We are asking these guys to take too many tours of duty, we are expecting too much from them.

Sixteen Dead, Nameless “Lone Gunman,” We Have Heard It All Before

by Gordon Duff, Senior Editor



The village is Balandi, outside Kandahar in Afghanistan. Thus far the dead are 16, shot in their homes, not just said to be “women and children” but actually infants murdered in their mother’s arms and set afire.

The US claims the perpetrator to be an unnamed “Army Staff Sergeant who has turned himself in.” There are inconsistencies.

According to live accounts and eye witnesses multiple weapon sounds were heard, including pistols and machine gun bursts simultaneously. The houses attacked are at least 2 miles apart and it becomes literally impossible for a single gunman to kill and burn people in one house and then run few kilometers to do the same thing again twice.By Tabish Qayyum – Editor Fortress Magazine

Late Monday update from ABC news: As VT predicted the ‘lone gunman’ story is being flushed out with with ‘past history’ material of brain injury and marital problem rising quickly to the surface.

But no word yet as to how someone could exit an important base like this not noticed by American base security, but as has been reported, noticed by Afghan forces who contacted their NATO counterparts, but did not send a warning to the village.

Left out of today’s ABC news is anything about how a jerrycan of gasoline could have been carried the mile to the village (and why) or a response to the Reuters report of witnesses describing multiple attackers.

ABC has the details of the ‘lone gunman’ having night vision goggles…apparently reporting only what they are being told, which obviously would fit the initial story…but no information about anything that does not fit

An official told ABC News that the soldier has suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past, either from hitting his head on the hatch of a vehicle or in a car accident. He went through the advanced TBI treatment at Fort Lewis and was deemed to be fine.

He also underwent mental health screening necessary to become a sniper and passed in 2008. He had routine behavioral health screening after that and was cleared, the official said

Afghan officials also gave varying accounts of the number of shooters involved. Karzai’s office released a statement quoting a villager as saying “American soldiers woke my family up and shot them in the face.”

“They (Americans) poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them,” Samad told Reuters at the scene.

Neighbors said they had awoken to crackling gunfire from American soldiers, who they described as laughing and drunk.

“They were all drunk and shooting all over the place,” said neighbor Agha Lala, who visited one of the homes where killings took place.

“Their (the victims’) bodies were riddled with bullets.”

at1with0 wrote:So there might have been more than one shooter?

at1with0 wrote:He apparently passed mental health screenings in the past which draws those processes into question...