U.S. soldier pleads guilty to murdering fellow servicemen in Iraq

TACOMA, Washington (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier pleaded guilty on Monday to murder for shooting dead five fellow servicemen at a military counselling centre in Iraq, a plea made in a deal with military prosecutors to avoid the death penalty.

U.S. Army Sergeant John Russell was accused of killing two medical staff officers and three soldiers at Camp Liberty, adjacent to the Baghdad airport, in a 2009 shooting the military said at the time could have been triggered by combat stress.