A US soldier was sentenced to three years in jail after being convicted of shooting dead an unarmed and wounded Iraqi civilian in Baghdad's Sadr City, the US army said on December 11.

Staff Sergeant Johnny Horne, 30, pleaded guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder at a court martial in Baghdad on Friday, said the military.

Horne was also reduced in rank to private, discharged from the military and will forfeit all the wages.

The military said in a statement that a panel of seven senior soldiers made the rule after four hours of deliberation.

Horne was involved in the killing of a 16-year-old Iraqi boy in Sadr City on Aug. 18.

He was the sixth US soldier being charged with killings of Iraqi civilians in recent months.

Source: Xinhua