Afghans Testify At Bales Sentencing

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, seen here in a courtroom sketch.

An Afghan man who lost 11 relatives in the massacre carried out by U.S. soldier Robert Bales has testified at Bales’ sentencing hearing at an American military base in the northwestern state of Washington.

Haji Muhammad Wazir on Wednesday described the devastation he felt after finding out his mother, wife, and six of his seven children were among 16 people gunned down by Bales last year in Kandahar Province.

Wazir was among Afghans who were flown to the United States to testify at the hearing.

Bales, 39, pleaded guilty to the massacre in June, under a deal in which he will not be sentenced to death.

A jury is deciding whether he should be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole, or without the possibility.

Based on reports from AP and Reuters