Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is expected to be charged Friday with 17 counts of murder in connection with a shooting rampage in two southern Afghanistan villages, a senior military official confirmed to Fox News.Â
The charges come almost two weeks after the massacre in which Bales allegedly left his base in the early morning hours and shot Afghans, including women and nine children, while they slept in their beds, then burned some of the bodies.
Bales will also be charged with  six counts of attempted murder and six counts of aggravated assault, the official said. He will be read the charges on Friday at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he has been held since being flown from Afghanistan last week.Â
The 38-year-old soldier and father of two, who lives in Lake Tapps, Wash., faces trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it could be months before any public hearing.
Fox News' Justin Fishel and the Associated Press contributed to this report.Â
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