Afghanistan: Parliament Shuts Down To Protest Civilian Massacre

The Afghan Parliament has closed down to protest the massacre of 16 civilians in Kandahar.

A U.S. soldier serving with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) entered a series of homes near an ISAF base in Kandahar at around 2 AM on Sunday and opened fire on civilians, killing 16 people, including women and children, and wounding another five.

Some of the parliamentary representatives told a press conference on Monday morning they suspect more people were involved in the incident and they called for the perpetrators to be punished.

The representatives issued a resolution denouncing the attack as “savage” and “a heinous crime”, adding that the behaviour of American soldiers has brought the people to the end of their rope.

They called for the open prosecution and punishment of whoever is responsible for the bloody massacre, then closed the gates of Parliament to protest the attack.

Abdolraoof Ebrahimi, the head of Parliament, announced that a parliamentary delegation will be dispatched to Kandahar to investigate.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai also condemned the murders, calling the attack a “deliberate and unforgiveable” act whose perpetrators must be prosecuted.

U.S. President Barack Obama contacted Karzai by phone to denounce the massacre. Karzai’s office says Obama has expressed his sympathies for the families of the victims and promised that the case would be diligently pursued.

Kafrzai’s office also announced that the U.S. Defence Minister had contactedPresident Karzai to apologize to the president and the people of Afghanistan, making assurances that the culprits will be punished.

The Head of NATO, the head of the United Nations office in Afghanistan and the head of the ISAF forces have also condemned the massacre and stressed the need for prosecution and justice.

Taliban forces announced that they hold U.S. forces responsible for the massacre and will seek vengeance for the victims of this bloodshed.