US soldier jailed for Iraq murder
A US soldier was sentenced on Saturday to 25 years confinement for the murder of an Iraqi national guard near the northern town of Tikrit, the US military disclosed.
“Specialist Federico Merida pleaded guilty to murder and making false official statements during court martial proceedings at Forward Operation Base Danger, Tikrit, Iraq,” said the military.
A military spokeswoman said the sentence had been reduced from 30 to 25 years, one of the heaviest sentences handed to a US serviceman since the start of the war in May 2003.
The soldier was found guilty of murdering an Iraqi national guard last May in the town of Al-Dawr, near Tikrit.
In addition to the sentence, Merida was demoted to private and was given a dishonorable discharge, the statement said.