US names Afghan killings suspect
The US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, named as Staff Sgt Robert Bales, arrives at a military detention centre in Kansas.
Senior US officials told the BBC the name of the suspect as he was heading back to the US to face charges.
He has now arrived at a military detention centre in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after being flown from Kuwait, the US Army said.
He will be held in solitary confinement pending charges, the Army added.
Sgt Bales' lawyer, John Henry Browne, said he had been injured twice while serving in Iraq.
Mr Browne also said the accused, aged 38, had witnessed his friend's leg blown off the day before the killings.
That incident has not been confirmed by the US Army.
The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of Sunday's deadly rampage - in which men, women and children were shot and killed at close range.
The US has stressed it remained committed to Afghan reconciliation.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has also reacted angrily to the killings. He told the US it must pull back its troops from village areas and allow Afghan security forces to take the lead in an effort to reduce civilian deaths.
On Friday he said the US was not fully co-operating with a probe into the killings.
More here
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks