A US army medic has been sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to shooting at unarmed Afghan farmers and agreeing to testify against other soldiers accused of terrorising civilians.
"It's the right thing to do and I'm going to do it," said Robert Stevens on Wednesday at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, when asked by the presiding officer why he pleaded guilty to charges.
On Monday, A US army general ordered a court-martial for another one of the 12 infantrymen accused of terrorising civilians and fellow soldiers as part of a rogue platoon in Afghanistan earlier this year.
David Bram faces charges ranging from conspiracy to commit assault and battery to dereliction of duty and trying to obstruct an investigation that started out as a probe into drug use among the troops.
He is among the seven soldiers accused of lesser charges, including trying to block the investigation, using hashish and severely beating a comrade who blew the whistle.
This is the end. The final blood-soaked chapter of the genocide. It will be over soon....
