US Solider Confesses to Afghan Killings
A U.S. soldier who went on a killing rampage Sunday in an Afghan town has confessed to his crimes, according to military officials.
Defense officials told NBC News that the staff Army sergeant, who is currently under arrest in an undisclosed location, admitted to carrying out the crimes that left 16 Afghan civilians dead, including nine children.
"I did it," the soldier confessed after returning to the remote base following the Sunday morning killing spree, according to reports.
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It is unclear what caused the staff Army sergeant, who was on his forth tour of deployment, to go off the deep end. However, officials have indicated that martial problems may have had something to do with the incident.
Small bottles of alcohol were also found at the Army base of the staff sergeant but it is unclear if alcohol played any significant role in the mindset of the solider that carried out the massacre.
The identity of the soldier has not been disclosed and officials hope to file charges and release the soldier's name by the end of this week.
On Monday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters that the death penalty would not be ruled out as an option for punishment.
Panetta assured reporters that the military would take appropriate measures to adequately punish the soldier and said the "death penalty could be a consideration."
"War is hell. These kind of events and incidences are going to take place. They've taken place in any war. They're terrible events. This is not the first of those events, and they probably won't be the last," Panetta said on Monday.
President Barack Obama addressed the nature of the horrific killings, saying that the death of Afghan civilians is as horrific and intolerable as the death of U.S. citizens.
"The United States takes this seriously as if it was our own citizens and our own children who were murdered," Obama said at the White House. "We are heartbroken of the loss of civilian life."
