US soldier admits Iraq desertion

Specialist Wilkerson became disillusioned with the Iraq conflict

A US soldier who fled his unit to avoid a second posting to Iraq has pleaded guilty to the charge of desertion.

Specialist Mark Wilkerson faces a sentence of not longer than 10 months in a military jail, following a plea bargain, his lawyer said.

He spent a year-and-a-half on the run after failing to return from two weeks of approved leave.

Specialist Wilkerson, who served a year in Iraq, said he quit after being denied conscientious objector status.

"I quit the Army, I quit my unit, and I did not show up when I needed to," he told the military judge at his sentencing hearing in Fort Hood, Texas.

He did not say where he had spent his period of absence. He surrendered at Fort Hood in August, saying he was tired of running.

Enlisting at the age of 17, he took part in the March 2003 invasion of Iraq but became disillusioned with the war.