U.S. Soldier Who Gunned Down 16 Afghan Villagers To Face Hearing Monday

The soldier is accused of  gunning down 16 civilians while on a drunken rampage.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan who could face the death penalty if convicted, is accused of walking off his base under cover of darkness and opening fire on civilians in their homes in at least two villages in March.

The shooting of mostly women and children in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province marked the worst civilian slaughter by U.S. forces since the Vietnam War and eroded already strained U.S.-Afghan ties after over a decade of conflict in the country.

Bales, 38, faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder, as well as charges of assault and wrongfully possessing and using steroids and alcohol while deployed.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.