Taliban Attacks Karzai Officials at Massacre Site

Threatened 'Reprisals' Come Quickly

The Taliban’s threat of violent retaliation in response to the US massacre over the weekend was followed up quickly with an attack on an Afghan government team at the massacre site.

The attack came during a meeting between civilians and the Karzai investigative team, which included two of President Hamid Karzai’s brothers. Neither was harmed, but one Afghan soldier was killed in the strike.

Provincial Governor Toryalai Wesa, who was in the village at the time of the attack, said it underscores the ability of the Taliban to continue to attack even places with heightened security.

The US says it continues to hold the staff sergeant, whose name has not been released, over the attack. The soldier killed 16 people, including 11 from one family, and wounded five others. Officials have promised a “thorough investigation,” but such promises have been made and broken in the past; the latest is unlikely to defuse anger at the occupation forces.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.