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Afghan president Hamid Karzai has demanded an explanation from the US after an American soldier shot dead at least 16 civilians, including nine children, in a killing spree Karzai slammed as an "assassination" that "cannot be forgiven". The victims, killed when the shooter entered their homes in two villages in southern Kandahar during the night, included at least three women, elderly men, and a child aged just two. On Sunday the mother of the two-year-old also spoke out. Gul Bashra told the Associated Press: "They (Americans) killed a child, who was two-years-old. Was this child a Taliban (member)? "Believe me,...

U.S. officials have briefed President Obama about an alleged shooting of civilians by a U.S. service member in Afghanistan as worries grow the incident could trigger more violence and fuel a push to abandon the war-worn country. "We are deeply concerned by the initial reports of this incident, and are monitoring the situation closely," White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Sunday, after one service member was detained by his unit following an alleged shooting of as many as 16 Afghan civilians in two neighboring villages. According to a government representative for southern Afghanistan and a member of the...

BALANDI, Afghanistan (AP) — An American soldier opened fire on villagers near his base in southern Afghanistan Sunday and killed 16 civilians, according to President Hamid Karzai who called it an "assassination" and furiously demanded an explanation from Washington. Nine children and three women were among the dead.