Lone U.S. Soldier Kills Afghan Villagers

A U.S. soldier murdered 16 Afghan villagers on March 11, according to numerous reports. The veteran army staff sergeant left his base in southern Afghanistan and walked to a village where he methodically shot Afghan civilians, including women and children. He appears to have made no attempt to conceal his actions.

President Obama called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to express his condolences, and nato officials have apologized for the shootings.

The relationship between the United States and Afghanistan is already shaky. Last month, six U.S. soldiers were murdered by Afghan soldiers who were supposedly their allies. The killings were apparently a retaliation against Americans burning copies of the Koran at Bagram Air Field on February 20.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also gave her condolences during a previously planned one-day trip to visit German troops in Afghanistan on March 12. While there, Merkel said that after Germany withdraws in 2014, it will continue to help reconstruct Afghanistan.

This latest round of violence has damaged America’s international image, and it will likely hasten an early U.S. withdrawal in 2013. On the other end of the spectrum, Germany’s international prestige is on the rise. Watch for Berlin to continue filling the leadership vacuum that America is leaving behind.