A U.S. District Court in Virginia has charged a contractor for the U.S. military in Afghanistan with the killing of an Afghan civilian, said officials on Thursday.
The contractor, Don Ayala of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Kandahar native Abdul Salam, the U.S. Attorney's Office said, adding that Ayala is currently in Afghanistan awaiting transfer to Virginia.
Ayala allegedly shot Salam in the head after the Afghan set social scientist Paula Loyd, one of Ayala's co-workers, on fire in the Afghan village of Chehel Gazi.
Ayala, who has served as a bodyguard to both the Afghan president and the Iraqi prime minister, was working for BAE systems when the incident happened. He could face life in prison if convicted.
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