A US soldier convicted of killing five of his colleagues in Iraq in May 2009 has been sentenced to life behind bars.

A US soldier convicted of killing five of his colleagues in Iraq in May 2009 has been sentenced to life behind bars.

Army Sergeant John Russell was convicted earlier this week over the murders at a clinic for soldiers suffering from war-related stress at Camp Liberty, the largest US base in Iraq, Agence France Presse said.

Russell, who previously denied responsibility, admitted the killings last month in a plea deal to escape a death sentence, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), in the state of Washington.

On Thursday he was jailed for life and reduced to the rank of private.

Russell was also given a dishonorable discharge from the military.