WASHINGTON — The US soldier accused of indiscriminately killing Afghan civilians in a house-to-house rampage earlier this month will be formally charged with 17 counts of murder, US officials told FOX News Channel Thursday.
He will face additional charges of assault and attempted murder, the officials said.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly left his base in Kandahar province and walked to a nearby village, where he went on a killing spree during the early hours of March 11.
US and Afghan officials had previously said the death toll from the massacre was 16.
Most of the victims were women and children.
Bales, 38, is currently in custody in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
The staff sergeant, who was on his fourth tour of duty in a combat zone, has not admitted to the killings and his lawyer says he has no memory of the event.