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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Staff Sgt Bales pleads guilty to Afghan massacre | Staff Sgt Bales pleads guilty to Afghan massacre |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| A US soldier who has pleaded guilty to the murder of 16 Afghan civilians last year has said there was "not a good reason in this world" for the massacre. | A US soldier who has pleaded guilty to the murder of 16 Afghan civilians last year has said there was "not a good reason in this world" for the massacre. |
| Staff Sgt Robert Bales has given the first public account of the massacre in the early hours of 11 March 2012. | |
| That night, he wandered away from a US outpost in Kandahar province and attacked two villages nearby. | |
| Most victims of the two rampages were women and children, and some of the bodies were piled up and burnt. | Most victims of the two rampages were women and children, and some of the bodies were piled up and burnt. |
| 'Without justification' | 'Without justification' |
| At the start of the plea hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state on Wednesday, military judge Col Jeffery Nance asked Bales to describe why he thought he was guilty. | At the start of the plea hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state on Wednesday, military judge Col Jeffery Nance asked Bales to describe why he thought he was guilty. |
| The soldier read from a statement describing each killing in the same terms: | The soldier read from a statement describing each killing in the same terms: |
| "I left the VSP [Village Stability Platform] and went to the nearby village of Alkozai. While inside a compound in Alkozai, I observed a female I now know to be Na'ikmarga. I formed the intent to kill Na'ikmarga, and I did kill Na'ikmarga by shooting her with a firearm. This act was without legal justification, sir." | "I left the VSP [Village Stability Platform] and went to the nearby village of Alkozai. While inside a compound in Alkozai, I observed a female I now know to be Na'ikmarga. I formed the intent to kill Na'ikmarga, and I did kill Na'ikmarga by shooting her with a firearm. This act was without legal justification, sir." |
| When asked why he committed the murders, Bales responded: "Sir, as far as why I've asked that question a million times since then. There's not a good reason in this world for why I did the horrible things I did." | |
| Asked about burning the victims, Bales said he remembered a kerosene lantern in the room and recalled a fire and having matches in his pocket when he returned to the base, but not setting the bodies on fire. | |
| When pressed whether he had set the bodies on fire, Bales said: "It's the only thing that makes sense, sir." | |
| Bales's lawyers have said he is contrite about the killings. | Bales's lawyers have said he is contrite about the killings. |
| Lawyer John Henry Browne described Bales as "crazed" and "broken" on the night of the attack. | Lawyer John Henry Browne described Bales as "crazed" and "broken" on the night of the attack. |
| The judge, as well as the commander of Lewis-McChord, must approve any plea deal. A military jury would then decide if a life prison term for Bales would include the possibility of parole. | The judge, as well as the commander of Lewis-McChord, must approve any plea deal. A military jury would then decide if a life prison term for Bales would include the possibility of parole. |
| At the time of the attack, Bales was serving his fourth tour of duty and had been drinking alcohol and snorting Valium. | At the time of the attack, Bales was serving his fourth tour of duty and had been drinking alcohol and snorting Valium. |
| In addition to the 16 murdered, six Afghans were injured. | In addition to the 16 murdered, six Afghans were injured. |
| Afghans unsatisfied | Afghans unsatisfied |
| Seventeen victims were women or children, and many of them were shot in the head. Some of the bodies were piled up and burnt. | Seventeen victims were women or children, and many of them were shot in the head. Some of the bodies were piled up and burnt. |
| Bales's defence lawyers said they had determined the soldier would not be able to prove any claim of insanity or diminished capacity. | Bales's defence lawyers said they had determined the soldier would not be able to prove any claim of insanity or diminished capacity. |
| While prosecutors originally said they would seek the death penalty, no US service member has been executed in more than 50 years. | While prosecutors originally said they would seek the death penalty, no US service member has been executed in more than 50 years. |
| Family members of those killed have told the BBC they were outraged he might not die. | Family members of those killed have told the BBC they were outraged he might not die. |
| "We will not be satisfied unless he is executed," Haji Abdul Baqi, whose cousins were killed or injured in the attack, told BBC Afghan. | "We will not be satisfied unless he is executed," Haji Abdul Baqi, whose cousins were killed or injured in the attack, told BBC Afghan. |
| "If they don't execute him, they are showing their power. He martyred 16 of our people, but they are not executing the one person who did all that. Would they forgive us if we killed 16 Americans?" | "If they don't execute him, they are showing their power. He martyred 16 of our people, but they are not executing the one person who did all that. Would they forgive us if we killed 16 Americans?" |