US-soldier asks for asylum in Germany after going AWOL to avoid deployment in Iraq

http://www.connection-ev.de/article-1330

Excerpts:
"The U.S. AWOL soldier André Shepherd today instructed his attorney to institute legal proceedings against the negative ruling on his application for asylum by the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge [Federal Bureau of Migration and Refugees] that was served two days ago."

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"33-year-old André Shepherd joined the U.S. Army in 2004, and after training, was deployed to Iraq as a mechanic for Apache helicopters for six months. After returning to his unit, stationed in Katterbach, Bavaria, he gave a lot of thought to what the U.S. military is doing to the civilian population in Iraq. “Finally, I knew,” Shepherd said, “that if I go back to Iraq again, I will be responsible for the death and misery of others. So for me, the path was clear: I had to get out of the military.” On 26 November 2008, André Shepherd applied for political asylum in Germany. In his application, Shepherd relies on the Qualification Directive of the European Union, which has been in force since October 2006. This is intended to protect those who evade a war or activities that violate international law, and must expect persecution."