> Deadly shootings at US army base

[salman]

A US Army major has opened fire on fellow soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, killing 13 people and injuring 30, officials say.

Base commander Lt Gen Bob Cone said that the gunman had not been killed, as earlier stated, but was in custody.

It is not clear what motivated the attacker, named as 39-year-old military psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

But some reports said the US-born Muslim was unhappy about being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Lt Gen Cone said one of the dead was a policeman and others were soldiers.

President Barack Obama described it as "a horrific outburst of violence".

Speaking at a press conference in Washington, he said: "It is difficult enough when we lose these brave men and women abroad, but it is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on US soil."

He extended his condolences to the families of the victims, adding: "We will make sure that we get answers to every single question about this horrible incident."

Eleven victims were initially reported dead, but two of the injured later died, bringing the death toll to 13.

'Racial harassment'

The gunman is now said to be wounded after being shot four times, but is in a stable condition in custody.

"His death is not imminent," said Lt Gen Cone.

An official said authorities initially thought one of the victims was the shooter, causing a delay in identifying Maj Hasan as the suspect, AP reported.

Maj Hasan is a military psychiatrist and was reportedly due to be sent on a mission to Iraq or Afghanistan.

His cousin said Maj Hasan had been resisting such a deployment.

"He hired a military attorney to try to have the issue resolved, pay back the government, to get out of the military. He was at the end of trying everything," Nader Hasan told Fox News.

He also said that Nidal Malik Hasan had been battling racial harassment because of his "Middle Eastern ethnicity".

Prior to Fort Hood, Maj Hasan served as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, which treats wounded troops from combat zones.

Read rest at BBC NEWS | Americas | Deadly shootings at US army base

Few days old news but I thought it would be interesting to share it here and discuss why this is happening. One could feel for the deceased' loved ones but mourning over these incidents is not going to solve anything until and unless we dissect the problem and implement the solution. In times of oppression and injustice, these things are very common.

[salman]

latest article by brother Bassam on this issue can be found at Don't Be Treacherous! A Look At Nidal Malik Hasan's Actions In Light Of Islamic Teachings

I strongly disagree with his views in this articles as they seem to have several problems. I will post the response later, insha'Allah. And maybe he will accept my invitation to discuss this here after the Multaqa thread was closed