Washington, March 25 - A US soldier was sentenced to 24 years in prison by a military court after pleading guilty to three counts of murdering Afghan civilians, local media reported Thursday.

Specialist Jeremy Morlock also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and drug charges.

The sentencing in a military courtroom at Fort Lewis in the state of Washington followed Morlock's guilty pleas during a hearing Wednesday.

Morlock was the first of 12 troops to face a court martial in connection to the 2010 killings. Four other soldiers are facing murder charges, while another seven are charged with attempting to cover-up the crimes. The victims were also allegedly mutilated and photographed.

The judge presiding over the case accepted a plea agreement, which spared Morlock a possible sentence of life in prison. As part of the deal, Morlock must cooperate in the pending cases.

In court Wednesday, he apologized to the Afghan people and the families of the victims, and said that his actions not only broke the law but violated the US Army's fundamental principles.

The German magazine Der Spiegel published photos this week of the soldiers and the dead victims. Morlock was shown with another charged soldier, Private First-Class Andrew Holmes, holding up the head of one of the slain victims.(dpa)