Afghanistan massacre suspect named as Sgt Robert Bales

The US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in a massacre that has undermined relations with Kabul has been named as Staff Sgt Robert Bales.

Senior US officials told the BBC the name of the suspect as he was heading back to the US to face charges.

He has now arrived at a maximum security military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after being flown from Kuwait, the US Army said.

He will be held in solitary confinement pending charges, the Army added.

Read more: BBC News

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'End of the Rope' - Karzai tells the U.S. over Kandahar massacre

The Afghan president Hamid Karzai accused the United States of failing to fully cooperate with an investigation into the massacre of 16 Afghan villagers by a U.S. soldier and questioned whether more than one soldier could have been involved.

A series of blunders by the United States, including the killings in Kandahar province on Sunday and the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base last month, has further strained already tense relations between the countries.

"This has been going on for too long. You have heard me before. It is by all means the end of the rope here," Karzai told reporters at the heavily fortified presidential palace.

Read details: Reuters

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