UNSTABLE

Afghan Shooter ‘Snapped’

Had also been drinking.

The U.S. sergeant who is suspected of going on a shooting rampage in an Afghan village that left 16 dead was under the influence of alcohol and experiencing stress caused by his fourth combat tour and marital tensions related to deployment, a senior American official told The New York Times. The official said that with the combination of these things, the soldier just “snapped.” The suspect’s lawyer said that he had also been upset by a casualty in his unit. He was a 38-year-old father of two on his first tour of Afghanistan, having served three tours in Iraq. He had joined the military within a week after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The report paints a more detailed and troubled picture of the suspect’s mental state. Meanwhile, his transfer to the United States has sparked diplomatic tensions with the United States and Kuwait and Afghan President Karzai has called for U.S. troops to back off.