The bloody attack in Afghanistan by a 38-year-old army staff sergeant has raised the ire of an entire country and the Taliban, who vowed revenge for the massacre.

The soldier left the Panjwai district base in the early hours of Sunday, walked a mile to a small village, and began breaking into the homes of local villagers. He began a killing spree that left 16 dead, including nine children, and three women. Some of the bodies were set ablaze.

Some of the villagers, witnessing the aftermath of the ealy morning carnage, are convinced that the gunman had accomplices, but army officials, believe that the man acted alone. Bacha Agha, of Balandi village told reporters, “One man can’t kill so many people. There must have been many people involved. If the government says this is just one person’s act we will not accept it.”

Pentagon spokesman Captain John Kirby stated to the press, that the soldier was in custody. He also stated that the army is confident that there was only one shooter. He told Fox News, “When it was noticed that the individual left the outpost, it was noticed and reported up the chain of command. The command did exactly the right thing. They took accounting of everybody they had at that outpost to make sure they knew where everybody was and there was only one person missing. That’s how we know there really was only one individual involved in this.”

The sergeant was part of the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division out of Lewis_McChord Joint Base in Washington. That base has suffered a run of suicides from returning soldiers of late. That Brigade was deployed to Afghanistan after completing three deployments to Iraq, its first in 2003.The army says the sergeant appeared to have suffered a breakdown. He was deployed with the Brigade twice to Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan.

This latest incident on the part of occupying forces, follows the burning of the Quran at a NATO military base last month that sparked off deadly protests through the country.

Calling service personnel “American Terrorists” and swearing reprisals against “sick-minded American Savages.” the Taliban said on their site today, “If the perpetrators of this massacre were in fact mentally ill then this testifies to yet another moral transgression by the American military because they are arming lunatics in Afghanistan who turn their weapons against the defenseless Afghans without giving a second thought.”

Washington also weighed in on the incident. President Obama made a statement concerning the killings, saying “I am deeply saddened by the reported killing and wounding of Afghan civilians. 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. I fully support Secretary Panetta’s and General Allen’s commitment to get the facts as quickly as possible and to hold accountable anyone responsible.”

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave Karzai his assurances that U.S. officials will bring those responsible to justice. “We will spare no effort in getting the facts as quickly as possible, and we will hold any perpetrator who is responsible for this violence fully accountable under the law,” he said in his statement.