Rampage in Afghanistan Leaves 16 Dead; Annan: Syria Peace Deal Will Be Tough
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Instead of keeping the peace, the U.S. Army soldier accused of going on a deadly house-to-house shooting rampage in Afghanistan. Afghans are outraged, so is President Obama. And many now worry about retaliation. Here at home, a better jobs picture and improving economy. Now what for GOP rhetoric on the campaign trail? And the people juggernaut film "Kony 2012" join me to talk success, strategy and criticism, even for the people they say they're trying to help. That and more ahead in the next two hours here on CNN.</s>LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you for joining us. We're going to begin with the alleged murder of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier accused of acting as a one-man death squad. Afghan officials say the shooting spree took place in two villages in Kandahar province in the district known as the birth place of the Taliban. Sara Sidner joins us with the latest on this story. Sara, what do we know right now?</s>SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Hamid Karzai has released a statement saying 16 people have killed, that includes nine children, three women, and four Afghan men. He's called this a deplorable act, saying that it's an act of terrorism that is absolutely unforgivable, and he is -- has been talking about what has to be done going forward. Now, there is a full investigation going on, as you might imagine, from NATO officials as well as Afghan officials, both looking into this incident. What we're hearing from the international security assistance forces officials, they're saying that there's one soldier, an Army staff sergeant who acted alone, who went off base around 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, went out to the villages and opened fire on civilians and then came back and turned himself in. They are saying this is absolutely only one person involved in this, and though we've been hearing from also Afghan officials on the ground there saying -- questioning that, wondering if there are more soldiers on the ground. Some of the witnesses saying they saw more soldiers on the ground. What we do know is that there are five people who are wounded that are being taken care of at coalition medical facilities in that area, but this is certainly a situation that has caused fear that there will be some sort of violent reprisals. This comes on the heels just last month of U.S. troops burning the Koran mistakenly. But that created a lot of pressure on U.S. forces here because it exploded in protests that turned violent and ended up killing U.S. service members as well, Don.</s>LEMON: Yes. And, Sara, you said there were other soldiers on the ground it is believed, but was there any indication that any other operations were going on in this area?</s>SIDNER: Well, ISAF was saying there was absolutely no official operation going on in the area, that this was not a part of any kind of operation that had been set forth. This again, an individual had done this on his own accord and then turned himself in and now the Army staff sergeant is in detention and is being questioned in all of this. And so, they've disputed the claim by the Taliban who on its official Web site has said that this was a part of a raid by U.S. forces. ISAF saying, no, this was just an individual acting on his own. There's got to be an investigation into how this individual was able to leave what normally are extremely secure bases where you just can't go in and out without somebody seeing you. But at this point, they're looking into all those aspects. There's a lot of concern, Don, as you might imagine, that this is going to really make things difficult for foreign forces that are here in Afghanistan. This has very, very bad timing. If you ask anybody on the ground here, they say the timing couldn't be worse. And there will certainly be more pressure to move U.S. coalition forces out of this country sooner than later -- Don.</s>LEMON: Sara Sidner, as you said, it comes not long after that accidental burning of the Koran. Sara Sidner joining us from Afghanistan -- thank you very much for that, Sara. President Barack Obama called the incident tragic and shocking. He offered condolences to the victims' loved ones and said it doesn't represent the character of the U.S. military. And, of course, it probably isn't enough for most Afghans. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins me now by phone from Washington. So, Barbara, how is the Pentagon handling this tragedy coming so shortly after that Koran incident?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, you know, Don, I have to tell you, you know, I don't think it would surprise anybody. The official word is that this will not deter the mission, sad and criminal as it is. But behind the scenes, you can hear the slumped shoulders in the voices of the military officials I've spoken to throughout the day. They are -- this is just a punch to the gut for them. They are both angry and furious that anybody in a U.S. military uniform could have done this, and they are absolutely heartsick. It does come right after the Koran burning incident. They felt they were barely getting past that and now this. It just really couldn't be more disconcerting at this point. They're trying to take a very moderate attitude in public, not say anything that could incite any violence, but they are deeply, deeply upset about this, Don.</s>LEMON: I have to ask you this before I ask you about this particular individual who, you know, they said turned himself in for this. What about the push for peace with the Taliban? How will it impact, if at all, that?</s>STARR: Well, you know, what people have always said about those discussions with the Taliban is -- I think it was Defense Secretary Robert Gates who said all wars end by negotiating with your enemy, don't they? There's generally always some sort of political settlement. But, look, if the Taliban perceives vulnerability on the part of the U.S., on the part of NATO, and they get the sense they just have to wait it out a little bit longer before the U.S. packs up and goes, before NATO packs up and goes, it could add a lot of problems to those talks with the Taliban. It sort of takes away their incentive to talk. And especially the top two, the Karzai government, it just adds to the mix of how difficult this all is right now.</s>LEMON: Absolutely. Let's talk about the soldier accused of this rampage. Do we know anything more about him?</s>STARR: We are told, Don, that he is a U.S. arm staff sergeant. That his unit has been serving in this area called Panjwai, which is a district in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan. It is a place where here's certainly has been a good deal of combat over the years. We don't know how long he's been there. Of course, U.S. troops generally serve a one-year tour nowadays. He is not, we are adamantly told, he is not Special Forces, not Special Operations Forces but rather belongs to what you would think of as the conventional Army unit.</s>LEMON: And they're not giving a name?</s>STARR: We do not have a name yet. It's certainly known to the Army and the Pentagon. They're not releasing it.</s>LEMON: Barbara Starr reporting -- Barbara, thank you very much. We're going to continue to follow this developing story here, the alleged murder of innocent Afghans is far worse than other missteps by U.S. forces. But it's not the only mistake as we have been talking about. The U.S./Afghan relationship was already under stress, severe stress from the recent controversy over the burning of Koran. Afghans were enraged by the desecration of Islam's holy book. Riots left dozens dead, including six U.S. troops when there was this first incident -- first incident. And we must warn you that the video is graphic. Pictures posted on YouTube showing what appears to be a group of marines urinating on several bodies. Remember that happened? These pictures infuriated many Afghans. The video only added to many Afghan civilians' loathing of the U.S. military. These incidents make the mission to win hearts and minds even more difficult. Now, the alleged massacre in Kandahar province, in a district no less considered the birthplace of the Taliban. More news now overseas. We go to Syria where a U.N. special enjoy Kofi Annan and Syria's president, Bashar al Assad, met for a second time today in attempts to bring peace to the troubled nation. Opposition groups reported that violent attacks had killed another 32 people in cities across the country. But Annan remains hopeful that a peace deal can be reached. CNN's Arwa Damon has more now.</s>ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At the end of Kofi Annan's two-day trip to Damascus, after meeting twice with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, there is no deal, just a series of proposals meant to bring about a ceasefire, the release of detainees and unhindered humanitarian access, food and much-needed medical supplies in the hardest hit parts of the country. Mr. Annan saying that if these proposal proposals were in fact agreed to, they would lead to some significant change on the ground.</s>KOFI ANNAN, U.N. ARAB LEAGUE ENVOY: It's going to be tough, it's going to be difficult, but we have to have hope. I am optimistic. I'm optimistic for several lessons. First of all, I have been here for a very short period. Almost every Syrian I have met wants peace. They want the violence to stop. They want to move on with their lives.</s>DAMON: Of course, the big question is how to put together a real plan to establish that peace. The Syrian government continues to say that it is targeting these terrorist-armed gangs. It says that it will not give that up and that it blames them for the violence in the country. And the opposition for its part says it will not even entertain the notion of sitting down at the negotiating table until the violence ends. The violence seeming now to be centering on a province of Idlib where activists are saying there was an intense shelling of he province's capital, the city of Idlib. And in the town of Binish, not far from the border with Turkey, residents were saying that they received a phone call from a Syrian general telling them to hand over members of the Free Syrian Army, hand over their weapons, or else face intense bombardment. Arwa Damon, CNN, Beirut.</s>LEMON: All right, Arwa. And a programming note for you -- join us tonight as Arwa Damon and her team, they're going to will give us an eye-opening tour of the besieged city of Homs, one of the most dangerous places in Syria right now. It is a CNN special. It's called "72 Hours Under Fire." That's tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN. And next, we're going to discuss three provocative topics, money, politics, and Sarah Palin. L.Z. and Will are going to join me live. Plus, U.S. vets and mental health. More and more veterans are coming home from war zones needing special attention. Straight ahead, we'll profile a former soldier's efforts to get the help he needs.