PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL<br/> <br />A U.S. soldier is due to face a hearing on Monday (November 5), accused of killing Afghan villagers in a drunken rampage.<br/> <br />Sixteen civilians were gunned down here in Kandahar in March, in the worst slaughter by U.S. forces since the Vietnam War.<br/> <br />Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, pictured on the left, is accused of walking off an army base at night and opening fire on the villagers.<br/> <br />He now faces a military version of a preliminary hearing to determine whether there's evidence for a court martial.<br/> <br />A local tribal elder in Kandahar has joined calls for justice.<br/> <br />Haji Agha Lali Dastgeri urged the U.S. to deal a heavy punishment.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: PANJWAI TRIBAL ELDER, HAJI AGHA LALI DASTGERI , SAYING (Pashto):<br/> <br />"We already asked for a trial for the soldier who committed this crime. He should have been tried in Afghanistan and should have been punished with the death penalty."<br/> <br />The hearing is expected to last two weeks and will feature live video testimony from Afghan villages and soldiers.
