Hakimi said both the shooting rampage and Quran burning are tragic , but he acknowledged they come after more than 10 years of a U.S. presence in his country that has claimed the lives of more than 1,700 U.S. troops , according to the official U.S. military count . NEW : ` ` You could n't imagine a more difficult case , '' Bales ' lawyer says . Bales is charged in a March 11 shooting that left 16 Afghan civilians dead . A Taliban spokesman said ` ` we do n't imagine that one American '' killed them all . The shooting has strained relations between the US and Afghanistan .
NEW : ` ` You could n't imagine a more difficult case , '' Bales ' lawyer says . Bales is charged in a March 11 shooting that left 16 Afghan civilians dead . A Taliban spokesman said ` ` we do n't imagine that one American '' killed them all . The shooting has strained relations between the US and Afghanistan .