New Details About the Psychological State of Alleged Shooter in Afghanistan

The Takeaway

Comments by the lawyer for the U.S. soldier who allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians on Sunday has shed new light on the psychological state of the soldier in question. The lawyer, John Henry Browne, says the soldier was reluctant about going on another tour of duty, and was having tensions with his wife about the deployments on the night of the shooting. In addition, a senior U.S. official tells our partner The New York Times that the soldier had been drinking alcohol, a violation of military rules in combat zones. “When it all comes out, it will be a combination of stress, alcohol and domestic issues – he just snapped,” the unnamed senior official said. Dr. Jennifer Wild is a consultant clinical psychologist of the Institute of Psychiatry and an expert on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Retired Army Colonel Scott Feil fought in the Gulf War and served two deployments in Iraq in 2003 and 2008.

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