US soldier to face trial for Iraq killings

The US military says Sergeant John Russell will appear before a court-martial, but no trial date has yet been set.

“These charges result from an investigation into Sgt Russell’s alleged shooting of five military personnel on May 11, 2009 at the Camp Liberty Combat Stress Center in Iraq,” a statement by the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington said.

Russell faces five charges of premeditated murder, one charge of aggravated assault, and one charge of attempted murder in connection with the May 2009 shootings.

The soldier is now being held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The army says he could end up being executed if convicted.

In 2008, another US soldier shot dead two of his superiors at a base south of Baghdad.

The shootings brought attention to the issue of combat-related stress among soldiers.

A recent study shows as many as 20 percent of the more than two million American troops who served in Afghanistan and Iraq could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

SZH/DB/JR

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