Court Martial Begins in Afghan "Sport Killings"

The first of 12 U.S. soldiers charged with killing Afghan civilians for fun goes on trial today.

Staff Sgt. Robert G. Stevens and 11 other members of the 5th Stryker Brigade have been charged with serious misconduct in relation to the deaths of three Afghan civilians in Kandahar between January and May of this year. It’s alleged that the soldiers conspired to kill noncombatants for sport. Other allegations include widespread drug use in the brigade, and that one soldier collected body parts of his civilian victims. Stevens, a 25-year-old from Portland, OR, is not believed to have killed civilians himself but faces up to 27 and a half years in prison if found guilty of wantonly assaulting Afghan noncombatants with a deadly weapon and enaging in behaviour that could endanger fellow soldiers.