A US Army soldier will be court-martialed for refusing a second deployment to Iraq, news reports said Friday.

The Army mechanic, Sergeant Kevin Benderman, from the 3rd Forward Support Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, would be tried by a general court-martial, on charges of desertion and missing movement. No trial date has been set.

Benderman, 40, faces up to seven years in jail, reduction in rank and a dishonorable discharge if convicted.

Benderman said he had become opposed to war after serving in Iraq when the war started in March 2003. He missed the deployment flight of his unit on Jan. 7, 10 days after giving commanders a notice that he planned to seek a discharge as a conscientious objector.

Commanders at Fort Stewart, however, said Benderman had an obligation to deploy with his unit while his objector application was being processed.

Source: Xinhua