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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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June 25th, 2006 - U.S. Charges
Another Soldier in Iraq Killing |
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U.S. Charges Another Soldier
in Iraq Killing Reuters Jun 25, 2006 Baghdad - The U.S. military
charged a soldier with voluntary manslaughter on Sunday for shooting an
unarmed Iraqi man in February, the latest of a number of such cases to come
to light in recent weeks. The military said in a
statement that Specialist Nathan Lynn was also charged with obstructing
justice, along with a second soldier, for conspiring with a third who
prosecutors say placed an assault rifle by the body in an apparent cover-up
attempt. The third man had left the
army since the incident near a U.S. base at Ramadi, west of Baghdad, on Feb.
15 but the second, Sergeant Milton Ortiz, was charged with obstruction of
justice as well as separate counts of assault and making threats. "Lynn was charged with
one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting an unarmed male
Iraqi civilian on Feb. 15 in front of a home where Lynn was pulling security
for members of his unit," the military said in its statement. The Uniform Code of Military
Justice distinguishes voluntary manslaughter from murder by saying the former
is an unlawful killing "in the heat of sudden passion caused by adequate
provocation" while murder is "without justification or excuse". The announcement came after
a week in which 12 Americans were charged with murdering Iraqis and on the
day on which Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki promised that the occupying
troops would respect Iraqis' human rights. Rallying Support As part of a national plan
for reconciliation, Maliki's stance on the U.S. troops is aimed partly at
rallying support among the Sunni minority opposed to his Shi'ite-led
government. The week's previous murder
charges relate to two cases of Iraqis being shot by U.S. troops. Charges are
expected but have yet to be brought in the case of 24 civilians killed in
November at Haditha. The military is investigating the Marines involved. U.S. defence officials
insist it is a coincidence that so many murder charges have been brought this
month when only a handful had been brought in the three previous years of
war. Human rights groups who have
criticised the U.S. military's failure to investigate fully previous
accusations against its troops in Iraq have suggested, however, that
publicity over the Haditha case has made commanders sensitive to Iraqi
opinion. Some analysts also say
troops may be more liable to commit war crimes as the conflict grinds on and
U.S. casualties mount. Ortiz is also accused of
putting an unloaded weapon to the head of an Iraqi man on March 8 and
threatening to send him to jail. It was not clear if any proceedings are
under way against the third soldier, who was unnamed and is now a civilian. Lynn and Ortiz, both of the
Pennsylvania National Guard, are now at a base in Baghdad preparing for
pre-trial hearings that will determine whether they should face a court
martial. External link:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-6-25/43180.html |