Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has arrived in Afghanistan for the first visit by a senior Obama administration official since a U.S. soldier massacred 16 Afghan villagers. Panetta comes to Afghanistan amid ongoing protests and violent attacks throughout the country. At least nine people were killed in separate bombings earlier today. On Tuesday, at least one Afghan soldier was killed after militants fired on an Afghan government delegation investigating the massacre. At the White House, President Obama vowed justice for the victims of the slaughter.

President Obama: “I’ve directed the Pentagon to make sure that we spare no effort in conducting a full investigation. I can assure the American people and the Afghan people that we will follow the facts wherever they lead us, and we will make sure that anybody who was involved is held fully accountable with the full force of the law.”