US Green Beret charged with murder of man in Afghanistan

A U.S. Army Green Beret has been charged with the murder of an Afghan man during his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan, a U.S. military spokesman said on Thursday.

Major Matthew Golsteyn has admitted to shooting and killing a man in Afghanistan because he suspected he was a bombmaker for the Taliban militant group, NBC News reported.

Golsteyn admitted twice to the killing, once in an interview for a job at a spy agency and again during an interview with Fox News Channel, NBC News said.

“Major Matthew Golsteyn’s immediate commander has determined that sufficient evidence exists to warrant the preferral of charges against him,” Lieutenant Colonel Loren Bymer, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, said in a statement.

Golsteyn said in a statement he believed the allegations against him had been resolved years ago.

His attorney, Phil Stackhouse, said he would be “relentless” in defending Golsteyn against the charges.

“Major Golsteyn is a humble servant-leader who saved countless lives, both American and Afghan, and has been recognized repeatedly for his valorous actions,” Stackhouse said.

Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Rich McKay; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Paul Tait