US soldier given life sentence for killing Afghan civilians

Nov 11, 2011, 4:27 GMT

Washington - A US Army court martial found the alleged ringleader of a group of rogue soldiers guilty on Thursday in the slayings of three unarmed civilians last year in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs was sentenced to life in military prison and could be eligible for parole after 10 years, broadcaster CNN reported.

He led a group that called itself the 'Kill Team,' in a case that gained notoriety after photos of the soldiers with corpses of Afghan civilians were published in 2010.

Gibb's lawyer admitted that his client had shot one of the three Afghans, but claimed it was in self-defence, and that he had nothing to do with the two other killings. He admitted that Gibbs had cut a finger off one of the corpses.

Three other soldiers previously pleaded guilty in the case, and two testified against Gibbs during the trial.

Five soldiers allegedly planned the murders and then planted weapons on the victims' bodies to cover their crimes. They allegedly removed fingers and other body parts of the victims as trophies, according to documents released last year.

The murders were allegedly committed in January, February and May 2010 by the soldiers from an armoured brigade out of Washington state that was deployed to Kandahar province.

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