Afghan protestors shout anti-US slogans as they carry an effigy of US President Barack Obama during a demonstration in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province on March 13, 2012. Hundreds of university students took to the streets in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad to protest a rampage by a US soldier who killed 16 villagers, witnesses said. In the first street demonstrations since the mass killings on March 11, about 400 protesters shouted “Death to America — Death to (US President Barack) Obama”, and called for the soldier to be tried in public in Afghanistan
Up to 20 US troops executed Panjwai massacre (Pajhwok News Agency):
A parliamentary probe team on Thursday said up to 20 American troops were involved in Sunday’s killing of 16 civilians in southern Kandahar province.The probing delegation includes lawmakers Hamidzai Lali, Abdul Rahim Ayubi, Shakiba Hashimi, Syed Mohammad Akhund and Bismillah Afghanmal, all representing Kandahar province at the Wolesi Jirga and Abdul Latif Padram, a lawmaker from northern Badakhshan province, Mirbat Mangal, Khost province, Muhammad Sarwar Usmani, Farah province. The team spent two days in the province, interviewing the bereaved families, tribal elders, survivors and collecting evidences at the site in Panjwai district.
Hamizai Lali told Pajhwok Afghan News their investigation showed there were 15 to 20 American soldiers, who executed the brutal killings.
“We closely examined the site of the incident, talked to the families who lost their beloved ones, the injured people and tribal elders,” he said.
Afghan shootings: US soldier suspect flown to Kuwait (BBC):
The attack in Kandahar province has caused outrage across Afghanistan and protests in several areas. On Thursday about 2,000 people demonstrated in the southern Afghan province of Zabul, the second major protest outside Kandahar this week.
Nato has insisted that the detained man carried out the killings on his own.
But the head of an Afghan parliamentary delegation has told the BBC he has heard evidence from local villagers which suggests as many as 20 US soldiers were involved.
Sayed Ishaq Gillani, a leading Afghan MP, also claims that helicopters were heard overhead, and that they were seen dropping chaff – a measure designed to protect aircraft from ground attack.
Mr Gillani said local people believe the killings were carried out in revenge for an attack a week earlier in which several US troops were hurt
Bernd Pulch 