Robert Bales to face murder charges over Afghan massacre
Sgt Bales is the only known suspect in the killings
A US soldier suspected of killing civilians in Afghanistan will be charged with 17 counts of murder, Pentagon officials have told the BBC.
Staff Sergeant Robert Bales is suspected of attacking the villagers inside their homes in Panjwai district, Kandahar province, on 11 March.
The victims were mostly women and children.
The 38-year-old was moved to a military prison in the US after being transported from Afghanistan to Kuwait.
Sgt Bales is the only known suspect in the killings - despite repeated Afghan assertions that more than one American was involved.
He is being held in solitary confinement at a military detention centre in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after being flown from Afghanistan via Kuwait last Friday.
His lawyer, who has played down reports that his client was drunk on the night of the killings, said earlier this week he remembers "very little" of the incident.
The case has undermined US relations with Kabul and led to calls for Nato to speed up its planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
The Pentagon has said that Sgt Bales could face charges that carry a possible death penalty.
Such a trial could take years, contrasting with Afghan demands for swift and decisive justice.
The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of the deadly rampage, in which men, women and children were shot and killed at close range.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét