US soldier's killing spree puts Afghanistan on a knife-edge

"Among the dead was a young girl in a green and red dress who had been shot in the forehead. The bodies of other victims appeared partially burned. A villager claimed they had been wrapped in blankets and set on fire by the killer.

It is not the first time that US soldiers have intentionally killed Afghan civilians but the toll is unprecedented for a single soldier. The soldier, who was reported to be a staff sergeant and father of three who has done three tours of duty in Iraq, was arrested after the assault. He appears to have made no attempt to cover up the shootings."

"A string of abuses has soured attitudes to foreign military. A group of US soldiers killed three Afghan civilians for sport in 2010 in a different part of Kandahar province. In January, a video surfaced showing US marines apparently urinating on the corpses of three insurgents, and in February anger flared over the burning of the Qur'an."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...istan-children

I no longer ask myself if the marines have gone crazy. I ask myself who wants this situation to explode,and why marines lend themselves to this.

Will this soldier be let off with a slap of the wrist as well, as a further means to instigate riots?