U.S. soldiers investigated on Iraq rape, killing claims
By Ryan Lenz

(June 30, 2006 -(Associated Press) Five U.S. army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her and three members of her family in Iraq, a U.S. military official said Friday. The soldiers also allegedly burned the body of the woman they are accused of assaulting in the March incident, the official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

The U.S. command issued only a sparse statement saying that Major General James Thurman, commander of coalition troops in Baghdad, had ordered a criminal investigation into the alleged killing of a family of four in Mahmoudiyah, south of Baghdad. The statement had no other details. The case represents the latest allegations against U.S. soldiers stemming from the deaths of Iraqis.

At least 14 U.S. soldiers have been convicted in such cases. The United States also is investigating allegations that two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S. marines in the western town of Haditha on Nov. 19 in a revenge attack after one of their own died in a roadside bombing.

"The entire investigation will encompass everything that could have happened that evening. We're not releasing any specifics of an ongoing investigation," military spokesman Major Todd Breasseale said of the Mahmoudiyah allegations. "There is no indication what led soldiers to this home. The investigation just cracked open. We're just beginning to dig into the details."

However, a U.S. official close to the investigation said at least one of the soldiers, all assigned to the 502nd Infantry Regiment, has admitted his role and been arrested. Two soldiers from the same regiment were slain this month when they were kidnapped at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah. The military has said one and possibly both of the slain soldiers had been tortured and beheaded.

The official told the AP the accused soldiers under investigation were not only from the same regiment but also from the same platoon as the two slain soldiers. The official said the mutilation of the slain soldiers stirred feelings of guilt and led at least one of them to disclose the rape-slaying on June 22.

One of the accused soldiers already has been discharged and is believed to be in the United States, two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity. The others have had their weapons taken away and are confined to Forward Operating Base Mahmoudiyah.

The official said the killings appear to be unrelated to the kidnappings. He said those involved were all below the rank of sergeant. Senior officers were aware of the family's death but believed it was due to sectarian violence, common in the religiously mixed town, he said.

The killings appeared to have been a "crime of opportunity," the official said. The soldiers had not been attacked by insurgents but had noticed the woman on previous patrols.

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com