US Afghan Toll Mounts; 2009 Deadliest for Foreign Troops

Taliban, meanwhile, threatens to behead US soldiers

(NEWSER) - Militants opened fire on a prayer service for the 16 people killed in a US soldier's shooting rampage this weekend, targeting a visiting government delegation that included two of Hamid Karzai's brothers, along with senior defense, intelligence, and interior ministry officials. The militants fired from a distance, killing at least one government soldier and wounding two other people in what turned into a 10-minute firefight, al-Jazeera reports. "Bullets were coming like rain on us," one witness was quoted as saying. More»

Reports vary, but murders could push US-Afghan relations to the brink

(NEWSER) - US and Afghan officials alike are scrambling in the wake of today's rampage that claimed the lives of 16 Afghan civilians , as relations between the two nations threaten to boil over. The latest reactions, along with emerging details:

• Reuters has the most incendiary report, alleging that more than one US servicemember was involved in the shooting spree, and that the Americans were "laughing and appeared drunk." "They were all drunk and shooting all over the place. Their bodies were riddled with bullets," a neighbor says. Adds a father who lost his children, "They (Americans) poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them."

Civilian death spark outrage before Kandahar push

(NEWSER) - Anti-American riots swept Kandahar yesterday after American troops opened fire on a passenger bus, killing at least 4 civilians and wounding 18. Accounts of the incident—which deals a massive blow to NATO's hopes of winning over the local population before its upcoming offensive in the area—vary widely. NATO says troops opened fire after the bus ignored warnings to stop, but some witnesses say it had already pulled over, the Independent reports. More»

Kandahar official survives attack on holiest Muslim holiday

(NEWSER) - The governor of Kandahar narrowly escaped death today when a roadside bomb exploded underneath his convoy. Turyalai Wesa was on his way to prayers on the first day of Eid al-Adha, the holiest holiday on the Muslim calendar. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban, a violent Afghan hotspot, and the likely destination of many of the extra troops whose deployment President Obama is expected to authorize next week. More»

Said to be close to decision as Asia trip looms

(NEWSER) - President Obama is zeroing in on an Afghanistan strategy that likely includes sending in some 30,000 troops, reports Reuters —short of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's requested 40,000, but far greater than war-weary Democrats may support. An additional 4,000 trainers are likely to be sent, McClatchy reports, with the first troops hitting the ground in March. More»