US soldier accused of being a part of a rogue squad that killed unarmed Afghan men has pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and other crimes.
US soldier accused of being a part of a rogue squad that killed unarmed Afghan men has pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and other crimes.
Specialist Jeremy Morlock, 22, faces up to 24 years in prison but could be released after eight.
Under a plea deal he is expected to testify against four comrades also to be tried in the killings last year in Kandahar province.
"The plan was to kill people," Morlock told a military judge on Wednesday.
The judge had asked whether the accused were shooting to kill or meant only to scare the Afghan civilians.
Morlock, 22, is part of the 5th Stryker Brigade based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the US state of Washington, which deployed to Afghanistan last year and saw heavy fighting around Kandahar.