U.S. Commander Vows Full Accountability for Afghan Shooting

The U.S. commander of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan promised a "rapid and thorough investigation" into a killing spree by a U.S. soldier that claimed 16 lives, including nine children.

"I am absolutely dedicated to making sure that anyone who is found to have committed wrong-doing is held fully accountable," General John Allen, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force, said.

Allen said he was "shocked and saddened" by the incident, which erupted early Sunday when a U.S. soldier walked out of his base in the southern Kandahar province and opened fire on men, women and children.

An Agence France Presse reporter at the scene counted the bodies of 16 people after the shooting rampage. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the victims included nine children and three women.

ISAF said a soldier had been arrested in connection with the incident but did not say how many people were killed or wounded.

U.S.-Afghan tensions had already plunged to a new low last month when the discovery that American troops on a work detail had accidentally burned Korans ignited deadly riots.

"I offer my profound regret and deepest condolences to the victims and their families. I pledge to all the noble people of Afghanistan my commitment to a rapid and thorough investigation," Allen said.

"In the meantime, we will continue to offer medical care for those who were injured in this shooting. We will maintain custody of the U.S. service member alleged to have perpetrated this attack. And we will cooperate fully with local Afghan authorities as we ascertain all the facts."

Calling the shooting "deeply appalling," Allen said it did not represent the values of the NATO troops not did it "impugn or diminish the spirit of cooperation and partnership we have worked so hard to foster with the Afghan national security forces."

But the event -- the latest in a string of deadly incidents, including murders of American troops by Afghan soldiers and a video showing Marines urinating on the corpses of insurgents -- was certain to deepen Afghan resentment over the decade-long foreign military presence in the country.

In Washington, it reignited a simmering debate over whether the administration's plans to keep combat forces there until the end of 2014 was realistic, given the cracks in its Afghan alliance and war-weariness among the U.S. public.

"I think it's very likely that we have lost, tragically lost, the lives and suffered injuries of a considerable number of young Americans on a mission that we're going to discover is not doable," former House speaker and Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid defended President Barack Obama's withdrawal timetable, saying "we're on the right track to get out of Afghanistan just as soon as we can."

The U.S. State Department also offered "deepest condolences" to the families of the Afghan victims.

"The United States extends deepest condolences to the families of today's tragic shooting and we're saddened by this violent act against our Afghan friends," a State Department spokeswoman said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families."