A US soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians split the slaughter into two episodes, returning to his base after the first attack and later slipping away to kill again, investigators believe.

A US soldier has been officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over a shooting rampage in Afghanistan, military officials said today.

US Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder, assault and a string of other offences in the massacre of Afghan villagers as they slept, a US official said.

A US Army Staff Sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians in a night-time shooting spree remembers little about the incident, his lawyer has said.

A diverging portrait of the US Army sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers is emerging as records and interviews show a man appreciated by friends and family who won military commendations, yet faced professional disappointment, financial trouble and brushes with the law.

A former platoon leader for the US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians described the allegations as "100% out of character" for the man he said was as a model soldier who saved other troops' lives.

The American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a pre-dawn shooting rampage was named last night as Staff Sgt Robert Bales.

The American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers in a pre-dawn shooting rampage was named tonight as Staff Sgt Robert Bales.

IRELAND’S U20s face an uphill struggle to qualify for the semi-finals of the IRB Junior World Championships after suffering injury-time heartbreak in their opener against France in Rosario.

Floods that swept across parts of impoverished North Korea killed at least 121 people and left 127 missing according to figures reported so far by the government, an aid group operating in the communist country said today.