The shocking murder of 16 Afghan civilians, 9 of them children, by a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant this weekend is just the latest setback for American efforts to show the Muslim world we're not its enemy and to extricate itself from Afghanistan in such a way that it doesn't revert to being a safe haven for a resurgent Taliban. Following the recent unintentional desecration of the Quran by U.S. military personnel, this latest horror illustrates how challenging those efforts will be.
It's still unknown why the killer did what he did. Following the killing spree, the shooter returned to the base and turned himself in. Whatever the motivation, it was a sick and immoral act, and justice needs to be as swift and merciless as the crime.
