Killer US soldier captured on video
Source: Agencies |
March 15, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
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THE United States soldier who allegedly shot 16 Afghan villagers was caught on surveillance video that showed him walking up to his base and raising his arms in surrender, according to an Afghan official who viewed the footage.
The official said late on Tuesday that US authorities showed Afghan authorities the surveillance video to prove that only one perpetrator was involved in the Sunday shootings, which have sparked outrage across the country.
The video, taken from an overhead blimp that films the area around the base, shows a soldier in a US uniform approaching the south gate of the base with a traditional Afghan shawl hiding the weapon in his hand, the official said. He then removes the shawl as he lays his weapon on the ground and raises his arms in surrender.
Public trial
The official had not been shown any footage of the soldier leaving the base. Afghan lawmakers have demanded that the shooter, identified by US officials as a staff sergeant, face a public trial inside Afghanistan. They have called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to suspend any negotiations with the US on a long-term military pact until this happens.
"No final decision has been made yet" on the location of the trial, said Colonel Gary Kolb, a US military spokesman in Afghanistan. "We have done court martials in Afghanistan before, so we have the capability," Kolb said. "They'll take a look at all the circumstances and determine if they do it here or if it goes back to the States."
The US is holding the soldier, who military officials say slipped off a US base before dawn on Sunday, walked to the villages, barged into their homes and opened fire.
The official said late on Tuesday that US authorities showed Afghan authorities the surveillance video to prove that only one perpetrator was involved in the Sunday shootings, which have sparked outrage across the country.
The video, taken from an overhead blimp that films the area around the base, shows a soldier in a US uniform approaching the south gate of the base with a traditional Afghan shawl hiding the weapon in his hand, the official said. He then removes the shawl as he lays his weapon on the ground and raises his arms in surrender.
Public trial
The official had not been shown any footage of the soldier leaving the base. Afghan lawmakers have demanded that the shooter, identified by US officials as a staff sergeant, face a public trial inside Afghanistan. They have called on Afghan President Hamid Karzai to suspend any negotiations with the US on a long-term military pact until this happens.
"No final decision has been made yet" on the location of the trial, said Colonel Gary Kolb, a US military spokesman in Afghanistan. "We have done court martials in Afghanistan before, so we have the capability," Kolb said. "They'll take a look at all the circumstances and determine if they do it here or if it goes back to the States."
The US is holding the soldier, who military officials say slipped off a US base before dawn on Sunday, walked to the villages, barged into their homes and opened fire.
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