Just days after an Army staff sergeant allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians in a shooting rampage, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited Afghanistan to meet with government officials and U.S. troops. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
By NBC News, msnbc.com staff and news services
Updated at 1:14 p.m. ET: -- In an unannounced and tense visit to Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Wednesday told Afghan officials and U.S. troops that recent violence — such as the incident last weekend in which a U.S. soldier allegedly killed 16 Afghan villagers — will not deter the America from carrying out its mission in Afghanistan.
Underscoring the atmosphere of uneasiness, coalition forces got a scare when an Afghan man drove a stolen pickup onto a runway at Camp Bastion, the main British base in southern Afghanistan, before crashing into a ditch -- right around the time that Panetta's plane was touching down, a senior U.S. defense official told NBC News.
The man was being treated for "significant burns" at the coalition hospital at the base, the official said. One coalition service member was injured, according to ISAF, the NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan.
The crash was in the vicinity of where Panetta's plane was supposed to park. The secretary's aircraft had to taxi to a different location.
There was no indication of any threat to Panetta and no one in Panetta’s party was hurt, said Navy Capt. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington.
A senior U.S. defense official told NBC that base authorities were trying to figure the Afghan man's intentions. There was no immediate evidence of any weapons or explosives in the truck.
ISAF released this statement on the incident:
ISAF is aware of a stolen vehicle incident today at Camp Bastion, which resulted in the injury of one coalition service member. The alleged perpetrator was apprehended by base security personnel. We are currently investigating to determine more facts.
This incident took place this afternoon around the same time U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was arriving in Afghanistan. At no point was the Secretary or anyone on the aircraft in any danger from this incident.
Panetta arrived in Afghanistan for a two-day trip to meet with troops, commanders and government officials. His visit was the first by a senior member of the Obama administration since an American soldier reportedly shot to death 16 Afghan civilians, mostly children and women.
A surveillance video reportedly taken from a blimp showed the soldier walking up to his base after the shootings covered in a traditional Afghan shawl. The soldier removed the shawl and put his weapon on the ground, then raised his arms in surrender, Afghan officials who viewed the footage told Reuters and The Associated Press.
Villagers who witnessed the methodical killing are asking for an execution and the U.S. is reportedly considering charges that would carry the death penalty for the soldier who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
"We'll be challenged by our enemy. We'll be challenged by ourselves. We'll be challenged by the hell of war itself. But none of that, none of that, must ever deter us from the mission that we must achieve," Panetta told soldiers at Camp Leatherneck, the main U.S. Marine base in the volatile area.
"As tragic as these acts of violence have been, they do not define the relationship between the coalition and Afghan forces and the Afghan people," he said.
Officials: US soldier in Afghanistan shooting spree said 'I did it'
Pentagon press secretary said Panetta earlier told provincial leaders that "those events do not represent the Afghan people, the Afghan security forces, or US and (coalition) forces — the vast majority of whom are trying to do the right thing."
President Barack Obama says the United States,
In Washington, President Barack Obama said Britain and their NATO allies are committed to shifting to a support role in Afghanistan in 2013.
Speaking alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron at joint a news conference in the White House, Obama said that next phase in the transition will be an important step in turning security control over to the Afghans by the end of 2014.
Obama said NATO forces are making "undeniable" progress in Afghanistan. But he said recent "tragic events" are a reminder that the mission is still difficult.
Panetta's visit to Afghanistan was planned months ago, long before the weekend slaughter that claimed the lives of 16 villagers. But the trip propels Panetta into the center of escalating anti-American anger and sets the stage for some difficult discussions with Afghan leaders.
Panetta and other U.S. officials say the shooting spree should not derail the U.S. and NATO strategy of a gradual withdrawal of troops by the end of 2014. But it has further soured relations with war-weary Afghans, jeopardizing the U.S. strategy of working closely with Afghan forces so they can take over their country's security.
NYT: An Afghan elder comes home to find a massacre
There were clear concerns about security in the large tent at Camp Leatherneck where Panetta was slated to talk to troops.
Before Panetta came into the hall, Sgt. Maj. Brandon Hall told the more than 200 Marines in the room to take their weapons outside and leave them there. Afghan troops had already been told not to bring their guns in.
A U.S. defense official said the order was not a reaction to an immediate threat. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the base commander made the decision that no one would be allowed to bring in weapons.
Panetta's two-day visit was to include meetings with President Hamid Karzai, Afghan defense officials and provincial leaders, as well as routine discussions with his commanders on the ground. The sessions were likely to touch on America's planned withdrawal of about 22,000 troops by fall, including as many as 10,000 Marines from Helmand Province.
On Wednesday, Panetta met with several Afghan provincial leaders, and told them the primary mission is to prepare for the transition to Afghan security control.
He acknowledged there will continue to be challenges from the enemy as well as issues between U.S. and Afghan allies, but said everyone must remain committed.
The military has detained an Army staff sergeant in connection with Sunday's massacre.
A delegation investigating the shootings was meeting in the southern city of Kandahar on Wednesday when a bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded about 600 yards away. The blast killed one Afghan intelligence official and wounded three other people, but the delegation members were unharmed.
Even before the shootings, anti-Americanism was already roiling in Afghanistan over U.S. troops burning Muslim holy books, including Qurans, last month on an American base. The burnings came to light soon after a video purporting to show four Marines urinating on Taliban corpses was posted on the Internet in January.
Military commanders have yet to release their final investigation on the Quran burnings, which U.S. officials say was a mistake. Five U.S. service members could face disciplinary action in connection with the incident.
The Associated Press, Reuters, NBC News and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
