Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant'
16th March 2012, 11:07
The US soldier accused of shooting dead 16 Afghans had received body and brain injuries while serving in Iraq and was unhappy about going for another tour of duty, a lawyer has said.
John Henry Browne said the soldier - who has not been named - had already completed three tours in Iraq.
He also said the accused had witnessed his friend's leg blown off the day before the killings.
Sunday's shootings have placed new strains on the US in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a Nato helicopter carrying Turkish troops has crashed into a house on the outskirts of the capital Kabul killing at least 12 soldiers and two children on the ground.
The death toll is the heaviest single loss of life so far for Turkish troops in Afghanistan, of whom there are currently more than 1,800.
Police told the BBC a technical fault was to blame.
The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of the deadly rampage - in which men, women and children were shot and killed at close range - although they made no mention of the massacre in the statement.
However, the US later stressed it remained committed to Afghan reconciliation despite the move by the Taliban.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has also told the US that 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.
Speaking in Seattle, where the accused soldier is based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Mr Browne said his new client was a "mild-mannered" man who bore no antipathy towards Muslims.
He described him as "a decorated soldier" with an exemplary record before the shooting.
The lawyer also suggested the soldier was not fit to serve in Afghanistan because of injuries he had suffered on previous tours of duty.
"I think it's of interest that we have a soldier who has an exemplary record, a decorated soldier who was injured in Iraq, to his brain and to his body and then despite that was sent back," he said.
BBC NEWS
John Henry Browne said the soldier - who has not been named - had already completed three tours in Iraq.
He also said the accused had witnessed his friend's leg blown off the day before the killings.
Sunday's shootings have placed new strains on the US in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a Nato helicopter carrying Turkish troops has crashed into a house on the outskirts of the capital Kabul killing at least 12 soldiers and two children on the ground.
The death toll is the heaviest single loss of life so far for Turkish troops in Afghanistan, of whom there are currently more than 1,800.
Police told the BBC a technical fault was to blame.
The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of the deadly rampage - in which men, women and children were shot and killed at close range - although they made no mention of the massacre in the statement.
However, the US later stressed it remained committed to Afghan reconciliation despite the move by the Taliban.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has also told the US that 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.
Speaking in Seattle, where the accused soldier is based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Mr Browne said his new client was a "mild-mannered" man who bore no antipathy towards Muslims.
He described him as "a decorated soldier" with an exemplary record before the shooting.
The lawyer also suggested the soldier was not fit to serve in Afghanistan because of injuries he had suffered on previous tours of duty.
"I think it's of interest that we have a soldier who has an exemplary record, a decorated soldier who was injured in Iraq, to his brain and to his body and then despite that was sent back," he said.
BBC NEWS