Sgt Robert Bales named as Afghanistan massacre suspect.

The Afghan civilian massacre soldier accused of killing 16 civilians named as Staff Sgt Robert Bales.

The US Army said that he has flown from Kuwait to a military detention centre in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and will be held in solitary confinement pending charges. Sgt Bales who, while serving in Iraq, had been injured twice and he had also witnessed his friend's leg being blown off the day before the killings.

In the wake of Sunday's rampage the Taliban have called off peace talks after the close range killings of men, women and children. In a bid to reduce civilian deaths, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on the US to pull back it's troops from village areas to make way for Afghan security forces in an angry reaction to the killings.

Sgt Bales, the only known suspect, could face charges that carry a possible death penalty although a trial could take years despite Afghan demands for swift and decisive justice.