Soldier pleads not guilty in Taliban murder case
Capt. Robert Semrau is charged with shooting wounded insurgent
A Canadian soldier accused of killing a wounded Taliban fighter in Afghanistan pleaded not guilty on the first day of his general court martial. Prosecutors say Capt. Robert Semrau fired two bullets into a wounded and unarmed insurgent after a firefight in Southern Afghanistan on Oct. 19, 2008. He’s been charged with second-degree murder, or alternately, attempted murder; behaving in a disgraceful manner; and the negligent performance of a military duty, and is the first Canadian soldier to face a court martial in connection with a battlefield death. His trial is expected to last until June.
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