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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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August 1st, 2006 - US Soldiers
Charged with Murder Appear in Iraq Court |
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US soldiers charged with
murder appear in Iraq court Tue Aug 1, 2006 3:28 PM ET Reuters Tikrit, Iraq - A military court
opened a preliminary hearing on Tuesday to determine whether four U.S.
soldiers charged over the deaths of three male prisoners in Iraq will face
court martials. They have been charged with
premeditated murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat,
and obstructing justice in the killings in or around May 9 north of Baghdad. Premeditated murder charges
can bring the death penalty under U.S. military law. The Article 32 hearing is
being held at Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Saddam Hussein's
hometown of Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of the capital. It comes at a sensitive time
when the military is investigating other cases of alleged abuses - including
the killings of up to 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last year
by U.S. Marines - which have infuriated Iraqis. The soldiers - Private First
Class Corey Clagett, Specialist William Hunsaker, Staff Sergeant Raymond
Girouard and Specialist Juston Graber - are from the 101st Airborne Division
and are based in Samarra, north of Baghdad. They have said the three men
who were killed were trying to escape during the shootings. The defendants are also
charged with threatening to kill another soldier if he informed on them. The hearing recessed until
Wednesday morning. The deaths took place during
a raid on a suspected insurgent training camp near Thar Thar Lake, southwest
of Tikrit, when, the military said at the time, more than 200 people were
detained. The military had issued a
statement hailing the success of Operation Iron Triangle, a three-day raid
launched on May 9 against the Muthana Chemical Complex, a sprawling plant
closed after the fall of Saddam in 2003. Five U.S. soldiers have been
charged in a rape and multiple murder case that has outraged Iraqis. Four of
them will face a hearing in a base in Baghdad on Sunday. The other soldier, former
Private First Class Steven Green, is facing a U.S. civilian trial in Kentucky
on four counts of murder and one of rape. Documents obtained by
Reuters showed the rape victim was aged 14. © Reuters 2006. All rights
reserved. External link:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2261388 |