American Soldier on Trial for Killing 16 Afghani Civilians
Local Editor
An American army soldier, who pleaded guilty to the murder of 16 Afghani civilians during raids to avoid death penalty, faces the beginning of his sentencing trial at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington on Monday afternoon.
Sergeant Robert Bales, 40, went on a murderous rampage in two poor villages during a nighttime raid in the Kandahar province last March.
Bales shot his victims, many of them women and children, often in front of family members or in their beds, setting some of them on fire.
Moreover, Bales' lawyers have said the soldier was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury.
Also, Bales admitted he was steroids to become "huge and jacked", which probably "increased my irritability and anger."
In Afghanistan, people were enraged that Bales avoided death penalty.
The brother of one of Bales' victims had told CBS News that not sentencing Bales to death penalty shows that "America is encouraging its soldiers to kill Afghan people, destroy and torch their houses, then come to America [and receive] a Medal of Honor."
Source: News Agencies, edited by website team
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