|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
August 22nd, 2006 - Iraq Looking
Into Young Girl’s Death |
|
Iraq Looking Into Young Girl’s
Death By Vijay Joshi The Associated Press Tuesday, August 22, 2006; 5:28 PM Baghdad, Iraq - Iraq has
launched its own probe into the alleged rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl
by American soldiers even though they face a possible U.S. court-martial in
the case, an official said Tuesday. The U.S. military,
meanwhile, reported the capture of more than 100 known or suspected al-Qaida
terrorists and sectarian death squad leaders, and five people were killed
Tuesday in the violence sweeping the country. The Iraqi investigation into
the rape-slaying started Thursday and was expected to take one week, said
chief prosecutor Adnan Mahmoud of the criminal court in Mahmoudiya, 20 miles
south of Baghdad, where the March 12 assault took place. Mahmoud is part of the
investigation panel along with Mahmoudiya's mayor, police chief and the head
of the town's main hospital. He said the panel
interviewed witnesses and inspected the house where Abeer Qassim al-Janabi,
14, was raped, shot dead and set on fire, allegedly by a group of U.S.
soldiers who had observed her for days. Also killed in the house were her
5-year-old sister and parents. The gruesome murders have
bolstered Iraqi allegations of misconduct by American soldiers, including
illegal killings, beatings and other abuse. U.S. authorities arrested
five soldiers and a former private in connection with the case. The active-duty
soldiers faced a military hearing earlier this month to determine if they
should be court-martialed. A decision is pending. "We will do our best to
try to get those soldiers to stand trail in an Iraqi court. If not we will
try them in absentia," Mahmoud said. He said the investigation
was ordered by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has made it clear he wants
the soldiers tried in an Iraqi court. The United States is not
expected to allow that but has assured al-Maliki that the case will be pursued
vigorously under the American justice system and that the soldiers will be
punished if convicted. Still, the case has
increased demands for changes in an agreement that exempts U.S. soldiers from
prosecution in Iraqi courts. Mahmoud said the immunity
should not apply in this case. "The accused U.S.
soldiers were not involved in military action when they committed the crime,
so they should not enjoy immunity given to U.S. soldiers," he said.
"We are trying to keep this case under the spotlight as long as possible
so that it is not forgotten and the criminals are able to get away." The soldiers accused of rape
and murder _ Spc. James P. Barker, Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, Pfc. Jesse V.
Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard _ could face the death penalty if they are
convicted by a court-martial. Another soldier, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, is
accused of failing to report the attack but is not alleged to have been a
direct participant. Former Pfc. Steven D. Green
was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" after the
incident and was arrested in North Carolina in June on rape and murder
charges. He has pleaded not guilty in federal court and is being held without
bond. The rape-slaying has
increased calls for the withdrawal of American forces at a time when U.S.
commanders are trying to stamp out a Sunni Arab insurgency grinding on more
than three years after the ouster of Saddam Hussein. The insurgents hope to
restore the power that the Sunni Muslims wielded in this Shiite-majority
country during Saddam's rule. The U.S. military says al-Qaida members, both
Iraqi and foreigners, have joined the insurgency. On Tuesday, U.S. military
spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell told reporters that "well over
100 known and suspected al-Qaida terrorists and terrorist associates"
were arrested during several raids in the past week. "All these captures
have severely disrupted and disorganized the capability of al-Qaida in
Iraq," Caldwell said. Among those arrested was a
Saudi Arabian al-Qaida member, who was preparing Iraqi men for suicide
operations, a U.S. statement said. Also arrested, in Saddam's
hometown of Tikrit, was a suspect who allegedly was directly linked to the
Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra. The attack triggered a cycle
of tit-for-tat attacks by Shiites and Sunnis in sectarian violence that many
fear could lead to a civil war. For ordinary Iraqis, the
precarious security situation has been made worse by the harsh living
conditions _ long power cuts and fuel shortages. On Tuesday, about 550
employees of the Iraqi Pipes and Lines Company in the southern cities of
Basra and Nasiriyah went on strike to demand higher pay. The company runs tankers and
pipelines, transporting oil and gas from the Shuaiba refinery in Basra to
electricity stations, factories and companies in southern Iraq. Also Tuesday, former
electricity minister Ayham al-Samaraie was arrested on corruption charges
after he surrendered to a court, Judge Radhi al-Radhi, chief of the Public
Integrity Commission, said. Al-Samaraie, a dual Iraq-U.S. citizen and Sunni
Arab political figure, was a member of the transitional government set up
after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. © 2006 The Associated Press External link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/22/AR2006082200899.html |