US strategy questioned after Afghan massacre

The lawyer for the US army sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers is preparing for his first face-to-face meeting with his client.

John Henry Browne, a lawyer from Seattle, said he was to meet staff sergeant Robert Bales, a 10-year veteran, who allegedly entered three homes in two Afghan villages and killed 11 people in one single household.

Bales is to face formal charges within a week, but the case has raised scrutiny and questions about US military strategy and planning in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Al Jazeera's Daniel Lak reports from Washington.