Taliban threaten to behead US soldiers,attack probe team

Karzai’s brothers were unharmed in the brief battle,which began during meetings with local people at a mosque near Najiban and Alekozai villages,but a soldier was killed and a civilian wounded. The area is a Taliban stronghold and a supply route.

The Taliban had earlier threatened reprisals for the weekend shooting spree,which came weeks after deadly riots across the country over the burning of copies of the Quran by US troops at NATO’s main base in the country. That violence led to calls to accelerate a 2014 goal for the exit of most foreign combat troops.

“The Islamic Emirate once again warns the American animals that the mujahideen will avenge them,and with the help of Allah will kill and behead your sadistic murderous soldiers,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement,using the term by which the Islamist group describes itself.

Tuesday’s attack underscored the insurgents’ ability to strike at fledgling Afghan government forces. The first protests over Sunday’s massacre also broke out in eastern city Jalalabad with about 2,000 demonstrators chanting “Death to America”.

An unnamed US soldier — reported to have only recently arrived in the country — is accused of walking off his base in Kandahar province and gunning down at least 16 villagers. A US official said the accused had suffered a traumatic brain injury while on a previous deployment in Iraq.

US President Barack Obama called the massacre by the US soldier “outrageous and unacceptable,” Tuesday,and promised a thorough and unstinting Pentagon investigation. Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said the death penalty could be possible in the case.

Obama insisted that the killings will not change US commitment to finishing the job in Afghanistan. “Make no mistake,we have a strategy that will allow us to responsibly wind down this war,” Obama said. He repeated the timetable for bringing forces home that he had already laid out: 23,000 troops by the end of this summer,on top of 10,000 removed last year.