Afghans ready for showdown after US soldier kills 16 including 9 children

Soldiers guard the US station in Kandahar

Bodies of the dead carried towards the US base

Room where the burnt bodies of the victims were found

The Afghan parliament has demanded a public trial of a US soldier who allegedly killed 16 civilians, as the Taliban vows revenge for the deaths.

"We seriously demand and expect that the government of the United States punish the culprits and try them in a public trial before the people of Afghanistan," the lower house of parliament said in statement.
The parliament called the killings "brutal and inhuman" and declared that "people are running out of patience over the ignorance of foreign forces".
The condemnation comes after the US soldier allegedly broke into three homes near a military base in southern Afghanistan before dawn on Sunday.
According to the New York Times , 11 of the 16 victims shot dead were in one home and included four girls under the age of six.
In a statement on their website, Taliban militants said they would "take revenge from the invaders and the savage murderers for every single martyr".
It said: "A large number from among the victims are innocent children, women and the elderly, martyred by the American barbarians who mercilessly robbed them of their precious lives and drenched their hands with their innocent blood."
A US official told ABC News that the gunman was a 38-year-old staff sergeant who is married with two children.
It said he had served three previous tours in Iraq and commenced his first tour in Afghanistan last December.
Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News: "This incident is a tragedy and we've soon all too many tragedies in Afghanistan, including the death of six of our soldiers recently ."
US military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings confirmed that the number of dead was "in the teens" but refused to be more specific, saying troops had not been given access to independently count the bodies.
The US embassy in Kabul issued an emergency message, saying there is a risk of anti-US protests in coming days.
It advised against visiting the troubled country, told citizens not to discuss travel plans and said Americans "should remain vigilant and avoid areas where Westerners congregate" .
Sky's chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, reporting from Kabul, said: "The Afghan government is absolutely furious about this and there are expectations of protests to come."
The alert comes after US President Barack Obama responded quickly to try to defuse the incident, and called it "tragic and shocking".
Mr Obama said in a statement: "I offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and to the people of Afghanistan, who have endured too much violence and suffering.
"This incident is tragic and shocking, and does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan."
The president offered his full backing to a US investigation "to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible".
The US leader has spoken to Afghan President Hamid Karzai , who earlier demanded an explanation for what he termed an "assassination" that "cannot be forgiven."
Sky News foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall said: "The Americans are on high alert for reprisals and there will be reprisals.
"And the Afghan government will now use this as leverage ahead of the planned troop withdrawal."
US defence secretary Leon Panetta also assured Mr Karzai in a phone call that a "full investigation" was under way.
"A suspect is in custody, and I gave President Karzai my assurances that we will bring those responsible to justice," Mr Panetta said.
The defence secretary added that he is "shocked and saddened that a US service member... clearly acting outside his chain of command" has been linked to the incident.
Mr Panetta said he told Mr Karzai "that the American people share the outrage" felt by the Afghan leader and his people.
The gunman deployed to Afghanistan from the US army and air force's Joint Base Lewis-McChord , near Tacoma in Washington state.
Officials said the shooting in the Kandahar region began at around 3am on Sunday in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.
Neighbours said they awoke to crackling gunfire and that the soldier had appeared drunk.
Relatives of the victims claimed chemicals were poured over the dead bodies to burn them. Pictures from the scene showed remains of burning in at least one house.
Other pictures showed blood-splattered walls where the children died. The gunman reportedly handed himself in to US officials after the incident.
Stuart Ramsay said the soldier was involved in "village stabilisation operations", in which army personnel supported special force Green Berets.
Ramsay said: "Their job is to create, in effect, an armed neighbourhood watch that work with trusted village elders."
US officials confirmed the suspect in custody was a "conventional soldier" and not an elite Green Beret.
The soldier's joint air force and army base in Washington state, home to about 100,000 personnel, was described as the America's "most troubled base" by military newspaper Stars and Stripes .
It added that the major US army unit operating in the Afghan region is the 1st Stryker Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division.
In 2010, four Lewis-McChord soldiers were convicted in the deliberate killings of three Afghan civilians and in a separate incident a former soldier shot and injured a Utah police officer.
Last January, a 24-year-old Lewis-McChord soldier who served in Iraq sparked a manhunt after he shot and killed a park ranger in Washington.
The Panjwayi district is about 20 miles west of the provincial capital of Kandahar and is considered the spiritual home of the Taliban and a hive of insurgent activity.
International forces have fought for control of the area for years as they have tried to subdue the militants in their rural strongholds.
The US commander of the Nato -led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) described the killings as "deeply appalling".
"I am absolutely dedicated to making sure that anyone who is found to have committed wrong-doing is held fully accountable," General John Allen said.
The incident adds new tensions to a relationship already severely strained over US forces burning Muslim holy books on a base in Afghanistan.
Although US officials apologised and said the burning was an accident, the incident sparked violent protests and attacks.
At a news conference on Monday, Isaf spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson admitted the incident may derail wider coalition plans.
He said: "From Isaf's point of view these incidents, and in particular the short distances between the incidents, are a burden and of concern for Isaf."
Six American soldiers were killed in attacks by their Afghan colleagues since the Koran burnings came to light and Britain pulled out civilian advisers from buildings in Kabul as protests spread.
The controversy followed an outrage over a video showing US marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters.

Sky News