Horror shooting at Fort Hood military base in US
The full horror of US Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s shooting rampage is slowly sinking in across the country after Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 30 more. Hasan had been in the army since 1995 and was about to be deployed for service in either Iraq or Afghanistan. Sources noted Hasan had argued with military colleagues about Iraq and Afghanistan in recent days and had been trying to prevent his deployment to either battle zone. However, military sources say preliminary evidence did not indicate the shooting rampage was intended as an act of terrorism. Hasan was an American-born citizen of Jordanian extraction and a devout, practicing Muslim, although whether those facts have any bearing on the shooting is not yet clear. US President Barack Obama said, “It is difficult enough when we lose men and women in battles overseas. It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an Army base on American soil.” Fort Hood is one of America’s major staging points for troops ahead of deployment to one of the battle zones in which the US is engaged and is the largest active duty military post in the US. It is a virtual city for more than 50,000 military personnel and some 150,000 family members and civilian support personnel. Read more: Washington Post, AP, New York Times, New York Times
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