Counsel: Afghanistan Suspect was reluctant to deploy

THE U.S. soldier accused of Afghan villagers slaughter 16 last weekend saw the legs of his friend away on the eve of the rampage, his lawyer said Thursday.

Attorney of Seattle John Henry Browne told the Associated Press that family of his client provides the details of the injury of another U.S. soldier. The details have not been verified independently.

"His leg was won, and my client was standing next to him," said.

Browne, said that the incident has affected all the soldiers at the base. It is not clear whether the incident would have could help prompt the horrific middle-of-the-night attack on civilians in two villages Sunday.

The suspect had been wounded twice in his three previous deployments to the Iraq, and he was not prepared to go to the Afghanistan, said Browne.

Browne declined to release the name of his client, citing concerns for the family of the man, who is under the protection of Joint Base of Lewis-McChord near Tacoma. But he said that the soldier had two young children, aged 3 and 4.

The 38-year-old soldier father of two who is originally from the Midwest, deployed last December with the 3rd Brigade of Stryker and February 1 has been attached to a "stability village operation." Browne described as highly decorated and said once, he had been appointed to a Bronze Star, which he has not received.

FILE - photo file 16 December 2011, the Attorney John Henry Browne, representative of Colton Harris-Moore, who is also known as the "barefoot Bandit", appears in the island of County Court superior to Coupeville, Wash. Browne, said Thursday, March 15, 2012 and that he is asked to represent the American soldier accused of killing 16 civilians in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Ted s. Warren, file) Close

But he said that the soldier and his family thought he was fighting. At tours in Iraq, the soldier suffered head trauma concussion in a car accident caused by a bomb, Browne said, and he suffered an injury in the battle which resulted in surgery to remove part of his foot.

It was screened by health officials after the prior head injury he redeployed, said Browne. He did not know whether his client had been achieved of post traumatic stress disorder, but said that it could be in the trial, if the experts believe that it is relevant.

He and the rest of his brigade had initially said that they would not have to go to Afghanistan, said Browne.

Browne and his co-counsel, Emma Scanlan, said they had met with the wife of soldier and other members of the family and Browne said that he spoke briefly by telephone with the soldier, that he described as stunned and distant.

His family was "completely surprised", he said. "He has never said anything antagonists on Muslims." It is usually very light-maniéré. ?

Browne said that he knew little of the facts of the shooting, but dispute reports that a combination of alcohol, stress and domestic problems caused him to snap. He said that the family said that they were not aware of any problem with alcohol and describes the marriage of the couple as "fabulous".

The soldier is accused of going on a shooting rampage in the villages near his base in the South of the Afghanistan in the early Sunday, killing nine children and seven other civil and then burn some of their organs. The shooting, which was followed by an incident controversial to the Qur'an involving us troops, has outraged the Afghan officials.

The suspect flew out the Afghanistan, Wednesday night, in what officials describe as a provisional containment at the Kuwait facility. Officials anonymously described as a father of two children who was in the army for 11 years. He served three tours in Iraq and started its first deployment to Afghanistan in December.

The soldier requested to be represented by Browne, a well known Seattle defence counsel, when he was placed in detention, said the lawyer.

View the original article here