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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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August 6th, 2006 - Medic Testifies
at U.S. Troops’ Hearing |
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Medic testifies at U.S.
troops’ hearing By Ryan Lenz Associated Press August 6, 2006 Baghdad, Iraq - An Iraqi
army medic described for a U.S. military hearing Sunday the horrific scene
that confronted him when he found the naked and burned body of a 14-year-old
girl allegedly raped and murdered by American soldiers south of Baghdad The medic testified on the
opening day of a hearing to determine whether five U.S. soldiers must stand
trial in the March 12 rape-slaying of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killing
of her parents and sister in the town of Mahmoudiya. It is among the worst in a
series of cases of alleged killings of civilians and other abuses by U.S.
soldiers that have tarnished the American military. The medic, whose name was
withheld for security reasons, testified he was the first responder to enter
the house and found the girl sprawled naked in the house, her torso and head
burned by flames. She had a single bullet wound under her left eye, he said. He said he found Abeer's
5-year-old sister, Hadeel, in an adjacent room dead from a bullet wound in
the head. The children's father, Qassim, and mother, Fikhriya, suffered
similar deaths, he said. The mother's abdomen and chest were riddled with
bullets, he added. "I was feeling very
bad," he said. "I was sick for almost two weeks." He told the hearing that
because Mahmoudiya's hospital did not have enough space to store the bodies,
they were kept in an air-conditioned ambulance overnight, then buried the
following day. Four soldiers — Sgt. Paul E.
Cortez, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard
— have been accused of rape and murder and could face the death penalty. A
fifth, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, is accused of failing to report the attack but
is not alleged to have been a direct participant. A former private, Steven D.
Green, was arrested in North Carolina in June on rape and murder charges in
the case. Green, who was discharged from the Army for a "personality
disorder," has pleaded not guilty in federal court and is being held
without bond. The commander of the
soldiers' battalion in the 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division,
Lt. Col. Thomas Kunk, testified Sunday that he recalled hearing Green say
"all Iraqis are bad people." "I told him that that
wasn't true and that 90 to 95 percent of the Iraqi people are good people,
and they want the same thing that we have in the United States," Kunk
said. The proceeding that opened
Sunday is referred to as an Article 32 hearing and is the military equivalent
of a grand jury session. It is expected to last several days, and parts will
be held in secret. The medic was among three
Iraqi witnesses to testify Sunday. Reporters were not permitted to hear the
first two witnesses but were allowed back in the hearing room when the medic
took the stand. The military prosecutor,
Capt. William Fischbach, showed him several photographs of the bloody crime
scene to confirm the bodies were as he found them when he entered the room. Defense lawyers contended
the bodies were staged for the pictures. They also questioned whether the
victims were shot to death, suggesting they were already dead when bullets
were pumped into their bodies. The medic acknowledged under
cross-examination that he could only assume the family was shot to death. U.S. officials are concerned
the case will strain relations with Iraq's new government if
Iraqis perceive that the soldiers receive lenient treatment. They have
offered assurances that the case will be pursued vigorously and that the
soldiers will be punished if convicted. The case has already
increased demands for changes in an agreement that exempts U.S. soldiers from
prosecution in Iraqi courts. And Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has demanded
an independent investigation into the case. Kunk, the battalion
commander, said he was told about possible American involvement in the
alleged murders and rape on June 19. He said he questioned Barker and Howard
the next day, and both denied any coalition soldiers were involved. Kunk described Baker as
"very flippant, very confident, and more than willing to answer the
questions I had." U.S. soldiers' conduct has
come under the spotlight over a string of similar cases. Four soldiers from another
regiment in the 101st Airborne have been accused of killing three Iraqi
detainees in Samarra three months ago. The Article 32 hearing in that case
ended Friday in Tikrit but no decision on a trial was announced. In another case, the Marine
Corps and Navy prosecutors are reviewing evidence to determine whether to
recommend criminal charges against Marines accused of killing 24 Iraqi
civilians in Haditha in November. External link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060806/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_rape_slaying |