The wife of the US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians spoke out for the first time last night, offering her condolences to the victims’ families.
In a statement issued through the lawyer acting for Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, Karilyn Bales said that the reports about the shooting incident in Kandahar province on March 11 were “completely out of character of the man I know and admire”.
Staff Sergeant Bales, 38, had his first meeting yesterday with John Browne, his civilian lawyer. They spoke together for several hours at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas where he is being held in solitary confinement.
Mrs Bales is under protective custody with her two children, at her husband’s base at Joint Base Lewis-McChord garrison, near Seattle in Washington state. She said that she and her family were profoundly sad at what had happened, and that she wanted to know what had occurred.
Mrs Bales put the family house in Lake Tapps, Washington state, up for sale three days before her husband allegedly walked out of his command post in Kandahar at 3am on March 11 and shot dead or stabbed 16 Afghans in two villages, including nine children. The family was said to be suffering financial difficulties.
Advertisement
Mr Browne plans to continue questioning the soldier today and tomorrow to discover what triggered the incident. Staff Sergeant Bales has yet to be charged. He joined the US Army 11 years ago after a failed career as a stockbroker.
Mr Browne, who has defended the serial killer Ted Bundy, said that this case was going to be very hard because of the complexity of the situation in Afghanistan.