US Soldier Confesses to Killing Afghan Civilian for Fun

Army Specialist Jeremy Morlock charged with murdering civilians "for fun" collecting their body parts as trophies in Afghanistan made his first court appearance on Monday, According to Democracy Now.

The US soldier, confessed to killing 3 innocent Afghans with a fellow soldier confirming that the killings were out of "pure hatred".

Morlock, 22, along with 3 other US soldiers led by Staff Sgt. Calvin R Gibbs, killed Afghan civilians as a sport and collected body parts as trophies in yet another one of the most shocking stories told on assaults committed by US military personnel.

The allegations detail some of the cruelest acts carried out by US troops since their invasion of Afghanistan began in 2001.

Morlock, a member of the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade, admitted his involvement during the pretrial hearing on Monday in a military courtroom in Washington, where he admitted his involvement in the killings that took place in Afghanistan's Kandahar province between January and May, The Washington Post reported.

Morlock sought to shift the blame for the killings to his senior in command, Gibbs, claiming that it was his idea and that he had planted the thought of killing innocent Afghans as a "sport."

The defense attorney for the American soldier has tried to clear his client of guilt, arguing that the heavy medication he was taking for a brain injury prompted him to offer the confessions at his pretrial hearing.

However, the notion that Morlock was influenced by medications while making his statements was refute by Anderson D Wagner, a special agent with the US Army's Criminal Investigation Command. He emphasized that Morlock's statements were verified up by other members of his unit and that he did not believe Morlock was unduly influenced by medications.

Twelve US soldiers were accused of forming a secret "kill team" in Afghanistan that allegedly blew up and shot Afghan civilians at random and collected their fingers as trophies.