US soldier jailed for Afghan murder

A US soldier has been sentenced to life for the murder of an Afghan civilian killed because he was a "liar".

National Guardsman Sergeant Derrick Miller was found guilty of murder by a 10-member military jury.

His legal team claimed he believed his unit was in danger when he shot Atta Mohammed in the head after he passed through a cordon in eastern Afghanistan. Mr Mohammed allegedly approached the area and was stopped by Miller, 27, and questioned. Witnesses claimed that he made a lunge for Miller's weapon as the pair squared up to each other.

But during damning evidence from fellow soldier Guardsman Charles Miller, the court at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, heard that the sergeant threatened to kill the man if he did not tell the truth. He claimed Mr Mohammed then fell to the floor and Miller straddled him and would not allow him to get up before shooting him.

Major Matt Calarco, prosecuting, said: "Immediately following the event the accused said: "I shot him. He was a liar'." Miller's lawyer had argued during two days of testimony that he had acted in self-defence last September.

Charles Gittins told the jury that Miller had stopped the man for questioning when he walked through a perimeter that his unit had set up around a mortar crew. Mr Gittins urged the jury to find Miller not guilty and told the military panel that if they believed he acted in self-defence, they must acquit him. "You have Sergeant Miller's life in your hands," he said.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding him guilty. Miller showed no reaction to the verdict. He was assigned to a Connecticut National Guard unit attached to the 101st Airborne Division.