One murder charge dropped against US soldier accused in Afghan killings

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The U.S. Army on Friday dropped one of the murder charges against the soldier originally accused of killing 17 Afghan villagers in March, reducing the number of murder counts to 16.

The amended complaint now also accuses Staff Sergeant Robert Bales of wrongfully possessing and using steroids and unlawfully consuming alcohol while deployed.

Bales, a decorated veteran of four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was initially charged with killing eight adults and nine children and with six counts each of assault and attempted murder for attacking two other adults and four children.

The Army said in a statement the amended charges against Bales stemmed from "developments in the ongoing investigation" into the March 11 incident in Afghanistan's Kandahar province. The statement did not elaborate.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/06/01/uk-usa-crime-afghanistan-idUKBRE8501G920120601