Re: British army urged to learn lessons of Iraq abuse
- From: "Mike" <areyouserious@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:03:12 +0900
That's not exactly "doctrine". Probably should pull the dictionary off the shelf and look it up. And it's not "normal" either. Out of the thousands of missions that take place a very small percentage actually go wrong. *** happens in EVERY war - including those fought by your countries. When the enemy is difficult to discern from the public (they don't wear uniforms, do they?) it's difficult to tell who's a bystander and who's not. I wouldn't want to bore you with a 20-year list of *** that's gone right - it would fill your hard drive. It's fairly easy to sit back and say, "oh look, they fucked up!" It's much more difficult to actually live the part and make the decision. Here in the US they call that "armchair quarterbacking" (what's the Aussie term?) and it's usually frowned upon. But I forgot Aussies are perfect.
Now the Brits on the other hand, they just go to someone else's country to watch a football game and whomp the crap out of the opposing team's fans. Thinking about it, sometimes they don't even go to someone else's country - they whomp the crap out of each other. Makes for good TV though. I doubt Rifleman is a football hooligan - he doesn't seem the type; I suspect he enjoys the game for what it is.
Myal - you are a piece of work. I love how you can't just discuss stuff but have to throw an insult in.
Mike
"Myal" <Dumaree@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:e31wj.18375$421.10025@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Rifleman wrote:"Mike" <areyouserious@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1203769448_1264@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMass rape, murder, torture and kidnapping as a doctrine? What an insane claim. What is your definition of "mass"?
Mike
Extract from the recent record of the US military, the ones that got caught anyway!!@
Let us not forget the Mai Li massacre in Vietnam where the brave and noble American troops massacred an entire village of men, women, children and babies.
In GW1 the USAF attacked two British Warrior APCs in error killing and injuring
up to 16 Brit troops.
In Afghanistan US forces attacked and killed a detachment of Canadian
troops in error who were training twenty miles inside a designated safe area.
In the Mediterranean the US mistook an Airbus full of pilgrims flying an
accepted flight path to Mecca for a Libyan fighter and shot it down.
In Iraq the US bombed a civilian air raid shelter killing over 300 women and
kids.
In Yugoslavia the US attacked the Chinese embassy in error killing many diplomats.
In Italy the USAF knocked down a ski lift killing many civilians.
In South America the US intelligence agencies told the Colombian Air force
that a plane passing through their airspace was a drug smuggler, so they
shot it down only to find out it was carrying Christian missionaries.
In Iraq The US is only second to the insurgents in killing innocent
journalists, killing about 20 so far.
In Iraq the US killed the Italian secret service agent and wounded the newly
freed Italian hostage as she was being transported to the airport.
In Iraq the US shot down a RAF Tornado GR4 plane flying in formation after
attacking Iraqi positions, they were squawking accurate IFF transponders,
flying along the accepted return flight path at the correct altitude and
time when shot down by a US patriot missile.
In Afghanistan the USAF attacked a house with a fighter bomber in an effort
to kill one wanted person, but they missed and hit a school sited next door
killing many children.
In Afghanistan the USAF attacked with fighter bombers a wedding party
killing most of the guests.
In Iraq the US attacked a convoy of cars and trucks killing many on board
only to find out they were allied locals responding to a summons by US
forces to attend a meeting.
In Iraq a family of 5 including three children were machined gunned by the yanks, their crime?, daring to drive along a road in their own country en route to a family gathering.
In Iraq in an effort to capture or kill 200 insurgents the US laid siege to the city of Falujah, in the battle that followed the city was almost entirely destroyed and thousands of civilians killed in the air and artillery bombardment, The bulk of the insurgents plus their leader escaped (naturally).
We try not to embarrass the Americans to much about their total humiliation in Vietnam, Somalia, and Iran or how they managed to drown an entire SEAL team when they wanted to invade Grenada. Or how an aged arab farmer armed only with a vintage WW2 bolt action rifle shot down an apache helicopter.
Xmas 2005 A woman who emigrated to the US has been killed by a stray
bullet shot threw her apartment window. Selina Akther was shot in the head and died instantly at the window of her fifth-floor apartment in the Queens borough of New York.
Police arrested a US soldier who they said was on leave and had been
drinking when he fired shots into the air.
The US military has apologised for dropping a bomb on the wrong house in Iraq, killing between five and 13 people.
A spokesman said it dropped the 500lb laser-guided bomb after mistaking it for a nearby insurgent hideout.
He said the military "deeply regrets the loss of possibly innocent lives".
The bomb destroyed a villa in the village of Aaytha near the city of Mosul.
Locals said 13 people were killed including four women and three children, while the US military said its reports were that five Iraqis had died.
It is understood the dead are all from the same family.
In May, a US air strike near Qaim, a town on the border with Syria, killed around 40 people.
Locals claimed that the strike hit a wedding party, while the Americans said the house was a gathering point for "terrorists".
The US military bombed suspected insurgent targets in the former rebel stronghold of Fallujah from June until its November offensive
to reclaim the city from insurgents.
US commanders acknowledged that their air campaign in Fallujah claimed the lives of some innocent civilians.
Soldier Faces Execution
A US soldier has been sentenced to death for a grenade and gun attack that killed two of his own colleagues during the Iraq war.
The 15-person military jury took seven hours to decide that Sgt Hasan Akbar should be executed - jurors could have sentenced him to life in prison.
Akbar, 34, threw grenades into tents housing troops from the 101st Airborne Division in Kuwait and then fired at soldiers as they ran to escape the blasts.
US Soldier Pleads Guilty
Updated: 22:12, Monday May 02, 2005
An American soldier accused of abusing Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison has pleaded guilty at a court-martial in Texas.
Private Lynndie England was infamously photographed holding a leash attached to the neck of a naked Iraqi inmate.
The 22-year-old mother is one of seven junior soldiers who were charged with mistreating captives at the Baghdad prison in 2003.
She has pleaded guilty to seven of the nine charges and has asked to be sentenced by a special military panel.
Jail For Abu Ghraib Abuser
Updated: 16:06, Saturday February 05, 2005
A US soldier who admitted stepping on the hands and feet of handcuffed detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has been sentenced to six months in jail.
Sergeant Javal Davis was also given a dishonourable discharge.
Other guards later stripped the seven hooded prisoners and stacked them into a naked human pyramid.
Soldier Guilty Of Murder
Updated: 08:44, Saturday January 15, 2005
An American soldier has been sentenced to just one year in jail for the murder of a severly wounded Iraqi teenager.
He shot the severely wounded teenager in a Baghdad slum district last year.
The US military said: "Staff Sergeant Cardenas Alban was convicted on one count of murder and one count of conspiracy to murder."
The court martial took place at the 1st Cavalry Division courthouse at Camp Liberty.
Besides his jail term, he has been sentenced to a reduction in rank to private and a bad-conduct discharge.
'Bodies For Porn' Probe
Updated: 14:11, Wednesday September 28, 2005
The Pentagon is investigating claims American soldiers posted pictures of dead Iraqis on the internet in return for access to pornography.
A message board appears to show American soldiers laughing and joking beside Iraqi corpses.
It is alleged the soldiers who posted the pictures were then allowed to view pornographic pictures.
The owner of the website said he had offered soldiers free access to the pornography if they could prove they were members of the American military.
Some soldiers had sent in pictures of Iraqi landmarks while others had sent in pictures of corpses.
Jan 06
US sailor held over Japan death A US sailor in Japan is being held on suspicion of involvement in a local woman's death, the US Navy has said.
The sailor is being held in US custody near where the incident took place, in Yokosuka - where the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier is based.
Yoshie Sato died on Tuesday, after being found beaten and unconscious.
Incidents involving US troops and local Japanese are particularly sensitive because of a 1995 case when three US servicemen raped a schoolgirl.
14 Jan 2006 US aircraft attack a village in friendly allied nation Pakistan, killing 18 people including many women and children, they claimed they were seeking the second in command of Al Quaeda, but that is still not good reason to invade the airspace of an allied nation and bomb one of its villages, naturally the target the yanks were hunting was not killed in the attack
US officer guilty of Iraqi death A US officer has been found guilty of the negligent homicide of an Iraqi general who was being held in custody.
But a jury of six army officers found Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr not guilty of the murder of Maj-Gen Abed Hamed Mowhoush in 2003.
The officer now faces up to three years in jail for homicide. He was also convicted of dereliction of duty.
Prosecutors say Gen Mowhoush was bound, placed headfirst in a sleeping bag and died with an officer sitting on him.
It was one of a number of deaths of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan under investigation by the US military.
At the beginning of the trial, defence lawyers called a witness who claimed he had overheard a juror coming under pressure from a senior officer, and applied for the case to be dismissed because of "unlawful command influence".
But the judge rejected the request.
Gen Mowhoush died while being held at al-Qaim in Iraq, near the Syrian border.
A death certificate published by the Pentagon gave the cause as asphyxia due to smothering and chest compression.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/4636344.stm
Published: 2006/01/22 06:48:57 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Near-miss US jet crews criticised Two US fighter crews and ground control staff have been criticised in a report after a near-miss with a civilian aircraft over Bedfordshire.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch said there was "general confusion" when the F-15E Eagles from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk passed close to the aircraft.
They were at 21,000ft and above the level to which they were cleared to fly on 27 January 2005.
There were 35 passengers on board the British Airways regional flight.
The captain of BA CitiExpress (now BA Connect) aircraft told air traffic control he had just seen an F15 pass about 100ft below the nose of the Embraer 145 and "no more than about 200 yards ahead, descending," said the report.
Also poor use was made of the highly sophisticated aids available
AAIB report
The report said the fighters passed within about 1,000 yards of the Embraer.
The AAIB report went on: "Inadequate transmission and acknowledgements of clearances within the formation plus the crews' inability to fly either as a coherent formation or as two independent aircraft during the diversion were major contributory factors to the ensuing general confusion.
"Also poor use was made of the highly sophisticated aids available to the crews in monitoring fuel loads, monitoring ground position and using airborne radar."
The report was also critical of air traffic control at Lakenheath in Suffolk for a communication failure which "contributed to the subsequent radar identification problems".
The two fighter planes were flying from RAF Lakenheath for a close air support training sortie at Otterburn Range near Newcastle upon Tyne.
During the training exercise, both aircraft became low on fuel and decided to divert due to poor weather and air traffic delays at Lakenheath.
'Critically short of fuel'
It was some time after this that the Embraer captain reported to London-based air traffic controllers that a military fighter aircraft had passed close in front of him.
Eventually the two fighter planes landed safely at RAF Valley at Holyhead in Anglesey.
The AAIB report said the decision to divert was left too late.
The report went on: "Because they were critically short of fuel, the (US) aircraft climbed through their cleared flight level, without transponding, entered controlled airspace and conflicted with the Embraer 145."
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2006/02/09 00:33:49 GMT
© BBC MMVI 12 Feb 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4706902.stm
Two Pakistani nomad women have been killed after a rocket fired across the border from Afghanistan landed on their tent, Pakistani officials say.
Four children were hurt in the attack late on Saturday in North Waziristan.
Locals say US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan fired four rockets into Pakistan's tribal area after coming under fire from unknown attackers.
A US spokesman confirmed coalition forces had returned fire into Pakistan, but was not aware of casualties.
Post 'attacked'
The incident is the third this year in which civilians have been killed inside Pakistani territory in apparent missile strikes by US-led forces who are hunting al-Qaeda and Taleban suspects in the mountainous border area.
US army to probe NFL star's death The US army is to launch a criminal investigation into the death of a former American football star who was killed in Afghanistan.
Pat Tillman gave up his professional contract to join the army after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.
It took some time for the US military to admit he had been killed by US fire, drawing criticism from his family.
The US military has always said his shooting was accidental, but conceded that a criminal inquiry was warranted.
"We are obligated to answer the family's questions, as we are with all grieving families," Colonel Joseph Curtin, an Army spokesman said.
He said the scope of the investigation had still to be determined.
'Cover-up'
An unnamed army official quoted by Reuters said the inquiry would seek to determine whether one of the troops involved in the shooting committed negligent homicide or another crime.
He said "no one soldier" was the subject of the investigation.
Tillman was 27 when he was hit by gunfire on 22 April, 2004 on a road near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. At the time the army said blamed enemy fire.
The truth did not come out until after his funeral.
His family claims the story was manipulated by the Pentagon to turn Tillman into a hero of the war on terror.
The footballer had been hailed as a role model when he walked away from his multi-million dollar Cardinals contract to serve his country.
His father, Pat Tillman Sr, has called the army inquiries so far "shams" and alleges a cover-up.
The army has admitted that some evidence - including Tillman's uniform and armour - was destroyed.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4775362.stm
Published: 2006/03/05 02:07:08 GMT
© BBC MMVI
US soldier abused Iraq prisoners A US army dog handler has been found guilty of abusing detainees in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison from 2003-2004.
A Maryland court martial convicted Sgt Michael Smith on six out of 13 charges including maltreating detainees, dereliction of duty and assault.
Prosecutors said Smith, 24, used his black Belgian shepherd to menace prisoners for his own amusement. He will be sentenced later on Tuesday.
He is the 10th US soldier to be convicted over the abuse scandal.
In one case, prosecutors at the court martial in Fort Meade said Smith competed with another dog handler to see who could make a detainee defecate out of fear.
One of the photographs to emerge from Abu Ghraib prison depicts Smith holding his dog inches from the face of a detainee who appears to be cowering in terror.
The prosecution said he had violated rules on treating prisoners humanely and using the minimum amount of force.
The defence had argued that rules governing the use of dogs were unclear. They said Smith was a good soldier who had done what he was supposed to do by having his dog bark at prisoners in what it described as dangerous environment.
The military jury announced its verdict after deliberating for about 18 hours over a period of three days.
Smith was found guilty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with two counts of maltreatment, one count of conspiring to make a contest of making detainees soil themselves, dereliction of duty, assault and an indecent act.
Nine other soldiers have been convicted of abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Charles Graner received the stiffest sentence - 10 years in jail.
Another dog handler, Sgt Santos Cardona, is to stand trial on 22 May.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4830362.stm
Published: 2006/03/21 18:17:05 GMT
© BBC MMVI
US military probes Iraq killings
US military investigators have flown to Iraq to study reports that marines shot dead at least 15 civilians, including seven women and three children.
The incident is said to have happened in Haditha on 19 November 2005.
The military's initial claim that the civilians died in a roadside blast was disproved by an earlier investigation.
Investigators will now ask if the civilians died in crossfire or were targeted in a vengeful killing spree, prompted by the death of a marine.
Iraqis often accuse US troops fighting insurgents of committing war crimes.
Their bodies were riddled with bullets... there were blood spatters inside their homes
Bobby Ghosh
Time reporter
Local residents in Haditha say the marines went on the rampage after one of their number was killed in a roadside blast and another two were injured.
They say the soldiers began shooting passers-by and the inhabitants of nearby homes dead.
'Collateral damage'
A military report at the time had said insurgents opened fire from all directions after the roadside explosion and the marines responded, killing eight fighters.
In the report, the deaths of 15 civilians were blamed on the initial blast.
Locals offered a different version of events, and the case was taken up by US news weekly, Time.
Time reporter Bobby Ghosh told the BBC a videotape, given to the magazine by an Iraqi human rights group, had shown the civilians "could not have been killed by a roadside bomb".
"Their bodies were riddled with bullets," he said. "There was evidence there had been gunfire inside their homes, there were blood spatters inside their homes."
The magazine says it presented its findings to the US military, which investigated the incident in January.
The preliminary investigation established that two Iraqi families were indeed killed by the marines, though it described the deaths as collateral damage.
Time says there is not enough evidence to show US soldiers deliberately targeted the civilians.
Now the case has been referred for criminal investigation by the US navy to establish whether the 12 marines involved were guilty of misconduct.
Human rights organisations have already said that if the 15 civilians were killed deliberately it would be the worst such case that has come to light.
There have been many allegations from Iraqi civilians that similar behaviour by US troops has caused numerous civilian deaths in combat situations, especially during the offensives at Falluja and elsewhere.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/4827424.stm
Published: 2006/03/21 08:39:18 GMT
© BBC MMVI
Report finds U.S. shooting of Reuters soundman unlawful
Monday April 10, 02:56 PM
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. soldiers who shot dead a Reuters television soundman in Iraq last year breached their rules of engagement and the killing was "unlawful", an independent investigation commissioned by Reuters has found.
Waleed Khaled died and cameraman Haider Kadhem was wounded on August 28 when the troops fired on their car in Baghdad as the two Iraqis covered the aftermath of an attack on policemen.
An investigation by the Army unit involved found that its soldiers had acted within rules of engagement that allow them to fire if they feel under threat.
But The Risk Advisory Group (TRAG), a risk management consultancy asked by Reuters to examine the incident, said the use of force was neither proportionate nor justified.
It said the Army inquiry conclusions were not supported by the evidence -- including the testimony of the soldiers themselves -- and expressed incomprehension that crucial footage shot by Kadhem had somehow been lost by the military.
"We conclude, based on the independent evidence and the evidence of Haider Kadhem, that no hostile act took place and no act could have been legitimately mistaken as indicating hostile intent," the TRAG report said.
"The engagement was therefore in breach of U.S. Rules of Engagement and, in our opinion, on the current evidence was prima facie unlawful."
Reuters Global Managing Editor David Schlesinger called on the U.S. military to order "a full, independent and objective inquiry into this terrible incident". A copy of the report has been given to the U.S. Department of Defence for its review.
SHOTS "FIRED TO KILL OR INJURE"
Soldiers who fired on the car from the roof of a building testified to the military investigator that they saw a passenger hanging out of one of the windows holding what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher.
They said the passenger quickly moved back inside the car before they could confirm with binoculars whether he was holding a weapon. The soldiers said they initially fired warning shots and then fired to disable the vehicle.
TRAG reconstructed the incident and found it was impossible to distinguish an RPG at the distance from where the soldiers fired.
Kadhem said he was filming through the stationary car's windscreen with his small, hand-held video camera and at one point turned to lean slightly out of the side window.
Kadhem said shooting began and Khaled reversed at speed. Seventeen bullets hit the car, which swerved and crashed into a barrier. Kadhem said shooting went on after it came to a stop.
"Had they not fired, it is unlikely in our view that the car would have moved in the first place," TRAG said.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 67 journalists have been killed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion of 2003. U.S. forces have killed at least 14 of them, the CPJ says.
Four Reuters journalists have been killed, at least three by U.S. forces. Reuters is awaiting results of a U.S. military inquiry into the death 18 months ago of the fourth.
ARMY "LOST" CRUCIAL EVIDENCE
Kadhem's video footage was seized by the U.S. military when he was detained and held for three days. The Army showed the footage to Reuters staff but then said it had been separated from the case file and subsequently lost.
"The 'lost' video contains the very best evidence of what transpired,"
Civilians injured 'by US forces' Six people, including a mother and her newborn baby, have been injured in two incidents in eastern Afghanistan, reportedly by American forces.
Both the incidents took place in Khost province. A six-year-old boy was also injured in one of the incidents.
The reports come as President Hamid Karzai has ordered a probe into the killing of seven civilians by coalition forces over the weekend.
The US military has also launched an investigation into the deaths.
'Shot at'
The mother was travelling home from a clinic with her newborn baby after midnight in the Yaqubi district of Khost in the east of Afghanistan when they were fired upon by US forces, a family member told the BBC.
The mother, the baby and two other women in the car were injured. One of the women had gunshot wounds in her mouth, doctors said.
Wakil Ahmed, a family member, told the BBC: "We were on our way back home from the clinic. The American patrol was driving and as they stopped, we stopped. They started driving, we did the same.
"As we got close to our house they stopped, and we started driving towards our house. They opened fire on us. Minutes later a translator came to us and asked who we were."
Then in Khost city a few hours later, another car was shot at by a US patrol - a young man and a six-year-old boy were wounded.
The provincial police chief said he was investigating both reports.
On Monday President Karzai's spokesman said he was "very unhappy" about the deaths of seven civilians over the weekend and warned all those involved in military operations to take more care not to injure civilians.
The civilians were reportedly killed in "friendly fire" incidents during fighting against militants.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2006/04/18 10:25:00 GMT
© BBC MMVI
US test fire kills three Iraqis The US military has admitted that three Iraqi civilians killed in an explosion on Friday died because of an artillery training exercise that went wrong.
An artillery round fired from a US military base near Hibhib (about 20km north of Baquba) struck a building in the nearby town, a statement said.
Two Iraqis were killed instantly, while a third died later from her wounds.
This comes amid investigations of a number of incidents in which civilians were killed by US troops.
Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki expressed concern about the increase in the number of deadly incidents described as mistakes by the US military, saying there was "a limit to acceptable excuses".
Most attention has been focused on an incident in the town of Haditha where US marines are alleged to have killed up to 24 Iraqi civilians in November 2005.
Troops fired the 155mm shell from the base near Baquba, the US military statement said.
"A short time later Iraqi police reported an explosion at a building in the town [Hibhib] that killed two Iraqi civilians, injured four others and damaged six houses," it said.
It added that an injured woman was taken to a military medical facility but later died.
20 June 2006
Three US soldiers have been charged over the deaths of three male prisoners in Iraq, the US military has said.
The detainees were allegedly killed in a military operation near the Thar Thar Canal in southern Iraq on 9 May.
The charges against the three soldiers include murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and obstructing justice.
US troops in Iraq have faced several accusations of unlawfully killing civilians and abusing detainees, prompting inquiries into their conduct.
The US military recently began investigating the deaths of 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last year in an attack blamed on US marines.
Italian bid to indict US soldier Italian prosecutors have called for a US soldier to stand trial for the killing of an Italian intelligence officer in Baghdad in 2005.
Nicola Calipari, 51, was shot dead at a US roadblock while escorting Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena, who had been released by kidnappers in Iraq.
Italy and the US government disputed the circumstances of his death.
Italian prosecutors want a US marine, identified as Mario Lozano, to go on trial for the March 2005 killing.
DIFFERING ACCOUNTS
US military : Car approaches checkpoint at high speed
Troops attempt to tell driver to stop with arm signals, lights and warning shots
Soldiers shoot into engine
Italian government : No warning signs to motorists about impending checkpoint
Car not speeding and did not accelerate after warning shots
Proper inquiry impossible because vehicles removed and army logs destroyed just after shooting
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1586494
AN American airman charged with raping three vulnerable teenage girls said each had consented to sex, a court heard. James Gardner, 34, a staff sergeant with the US Air Force, stationed at RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate, went into the witness box at York Crown Court yesterday on the third day of his trial. He denies 13 sexual assault charges, including five counts of rape, and one charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.
Gardner is alleged to have plied all three girls - aged 14, 15 and 17 at the time of the incidents - with alcohol before taking advantage of them. All three teenagers were living at a North Yorkshire children's home and were introduced to the airman by a mutual friend.
Marines face Iraq murder charges The US marine corps has charged seven marines and a navy sailor with murder over the death of a disabled Iraqi man.
All eight also faced kidnapping and conspiracy charges, a spokesman told reporters at the Californian camp where the defendants were being held.
They are accused of shooting a disabled man in Hamdaniya in April, and covering up the circumstances of his death.
It is one in a series of inquiries into the alleged abuse or killing of Iraqis by coalition forces.
Another Pentagon inquiry is looking into an alleged massacre at Haditha last November, in which 24 civilians are thought to have been killed.
Roadside bomb
The Hamdaniya investigation has been examining claims a man was deliberately killed on 26 April in the town in central Iraq.
The marine corps prides itself on holding its members accountable for their actions
Col Stewart Navarre
The accused are alleged to have taken the 52-year-old victim from his house, shot him and then left a rifle and shovel by his body to make it appear as if he were an insurgent planting a roadside bomb.
Local Iraqis are said to have told marine leaders about the alleged shooting, which prompted an inquiry.
The accused were taken out of Iraq and held at Camp Pendleton in California.
A military spokesman said all were presumed innocent and it would be up to the authorities to decide if the men would face the death penalty in any future courts martial.
They have been identified as Sgt Lawrence Hutchins, Cpl Trent Thomas, Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Melson Bacos, Lance Cpl Tyler Jackson, Pfc John Jackson, Lance Cpl Jerry Shumate, Lance Cpl Robert Pennington and Cpl Marshall Magincalda.
"The marine corps takes allegations of wrongdoing by its members very seriously and is committed to thoroughly investigating such allegations," spokesman Col Stewart Navarre told reporters.
"The marine corps also prides itself on holding its members accountable for their actions."
More charges
Correspondents say the Hamdaniya and Haditha cases have generated a huge amount of unfavourable publicity for the marines and concern within the corps about the conduct of some in Iraq.
Separately, the US military in Iraq announced that murder charges had been filed against a fourth soldier following the shooting of three male Iraqi prisoners near Tikrit in northern Iraq on 9 May.
The announcement came after three soldiers were charged on Monday with premeditated murder in connection with the incident.
Another US inquiry has cleared marines of blame for the deaths of civilians in Ishaqi in March.
Earlier this month the US military announced that US-led troops in Iraq were to undergo 30 days of ethical training in the wake of the alleged massacre in Haditha.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2006/06/22 13:19:43 GMT
© BBC MMVI
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military has charged two soldiers in the February killing of a civilian near Ramadi, the military said Sunday.
Spec. Nathan B. Lynn was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting an unarmed man on Feb. 15, the military said.
Lynn and Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr., both of the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry (Mechanized) of the Pennsylvania National Guard, were each charged with one count of obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier who allegedly put an AK-47 near the body of the man in an attempt to make it look as though he was an insurgent.
Ortiz also was charged with one count of assault and one count of communicating a threat for a separate incident on March 8, when he allegedly placed an unloaded weapon against the head of an Iraqi man and threatened to send him to prison, the military said.
Both soldiers are being held in Baghdad while awaiting Article 32 hearings to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to a court-martial.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
#Salute to Iraq hero Chris
June 2006
Soldier awarded George cross for bravery under fire from our "" Allies"" the Americans,
This story shows us how the British Military can turn a disaster caused by the utter and total incompetence of the US military into something great and good
IRAQ war hero Chris Finney - who won a rare George Cross when he was just 19 - has been promoted.
The Blues and Royals trooper earned his medal three years ago for saving a comrade by dragging him from a burning tank while under fire.
Chris's bravery came during a friendly fire disaster as a US jet blitzed his column of tanks in the invasion to topple Saddam in March 2003.
Now aged 21, he has impressed Top Brass so much he has been promoted to Lance Corporal. Thank god for the professionalism and courage of our troops when not only having to fight the enemy but avoid the Americans as well.
TIKRIT June 06
Four US soldiers have been charged with murder this week following the shooting of three male Iraqi prisoners near Tikrit, Salahuddin province, in northern Iraq on 9 May.
They have also been charged over allegations they threatened to kill a fellow soldier if he spoke about the incident, the US military said.
The detainees died during a US military operation near the Thar Thar Canal near Tikrit in northern Iraq on 9 May.
The probe was triggered by soldiers who raised suspicions about the deaths.
A criminal investigation began on 17 May and is continuing, the US military said.
Just breaking on TV now, raping and murder the hallmark of the American Military
US investigates new Iraq killings The US military has opened a criminal investigation into the alleged killing of an Iraqi family in their home by US soldiers, the US military says.
The investigation began on Saturday and follows an initial military inquiry.
An unnamed official told AP news agency one of the four victims, a woman, was raped before being killed, and that five soldiers were under investigation.
The probe is the latest in a series of inquiries into alleged abuse of Iraqis by US troops.
The US Army's Criminal Investigation Command was asked to look into the incident, which took place in the area of Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, after a preliminary military inquiry found reason to open a criminal probe, the military said.
'Confined to base'
Little official detail has been revealed on the inquiry.
"The investigation just cracked open. We're just beginning to dig into the details," said US military spokesman Major Todd Breasseale.
The anonymous official, described by AP as being close to the investigation, said a soldier had admitted playing a role in the incident and been arrested, and four others had been confined to base.
Last Thursday, seven marines and a sailor were charged with murder over the death of a disabled Iraqi man in Hamdaniya in April.
Earlier in the week murder charges were filed against four soldiers over the shooting of three male Iraqi prisoners near Tikrit in northern Iraq on 9 May.
Another Pentagon inquiry is looking into an alleged massacre at Haditha last November, in which 24 civilians are thought to have been killed.
Correspondents say the Hamdaniya and Haditha cases have generated a huge amount of unfavourable publicity for the marines and concern within the corps about the conduct of some in Iraq.
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Published: 2006/06/30 16:01:17 GMT
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Bombing 'killed Afghan civilians' A US-led bombing raid in southern Afghanistan killed 10 civilians, an Afghan government inquiry has found.
Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi told the BBC that 27 other civilians had been hurt in last week's attack on a village in Uruzgan province.
He said about 50 Taleban fighters had been killed, including nine commanders. Many of the civilians killed were women and children, he added.
There was no immediate response from coalition military officials.
The president has always said civilian casualties should be prevented and has been urging coalition forces to be careful
Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi
Civilians have been killed in a number of coalition bombing raids since the Taleban were ousted in 2001.
The BBC's Bilal Sarwary says this latest incident puts President Hamid Karzai in a difficult position because his repeated calls for the coalition to take greater care appear to have had little effect.
British forces called in the bombing raids after fighting off a sustained attack on a local government compound they were defending in the village of Nawzad.
They said there was no evidence that civilians had been killed, and the bombing raids were necessary because of the severity of the fighting with the Taleban.
'Co-operation'
President Karzai ordered the investigation on Sunday, despatching a fact-finding mission to the area near the Uruzgan capital, Tarin Kowt.
His spokesman said the special commission had concluded that three houses in the village had been destroyed in the bombing.
One belonged to a local man, called Sher Jan, in whose house Taleban members are said to have been meeting at the time of the air attack.
Coalition forces are thought to have acted on this intelligence in launching the bombing raid.
Mr Rahimi said: "The house (of Sher Jan) was bombed by coalition forces. About 50 Taleban were killed, including nine commanders.
"Unfortunately, 10 civilians were killed. Twenty-seven other people were injured, among them children and elderly men and women.
"The president has always said civilian casualties should be prevented and has been urging coalition forces to be careful."
The commission had recommended that coalition forces should co-operate closely with Afghan forces, Mr Rahimi said.
It was also urging Afghans not to let the Taleban use their houses, mosques or shrines "for terrorist activities", he added.
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Published: 2006/07/20 18:31:03 GMT
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US airman jailed over triple rape A US airman, who had been described as a credit to his country's military, has been jailed for 12 years for raping three "vulnerable" teenage girls.
Staff Sgt James Gardner, 34, got the 14, 15 and 17-year-olds drunk before the assaults, York Crown Court heard.
He took advantage of the girls, who all lived in a North Yorkshire children's home, while serving at the US base at RAF Menwith Hill, near Harrogate.
He had denied five counts of rape, but was found guilty by a jury last month.
Gardner was also found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and another of attempted rape, following the trial in York.
You were motivated by lust and you set about getting them drunk and then raping them when they were powerless to say yea or nay
Judge Paul Hoffman
He had claimed the teenagers consented to sex with him at his Harrogate flat.
Judge Paul Hoffman made reference to Gardner's exemplary air force career, saying he was "a credit to them".
But the judge went on: "You have lost all that, I'm afraid, by these convictions.
"You took advantage of these young girls. You knew them to be vulnerable, they lived in a children's home.
"You were motivated by lust and you set about getting them drunk and then raping them when they were powerless to say yea or nay.
"The aggravating features here are the number of girls involved and the fact that they were young."
Deported after release
Judge Hoffman said Gardner did not fit the criteria to be classified as dangerous under the provisions of recent legislation, which would have meant him being given an indeterminate sentence.
But the judge did order Gardner to be put on the sex offenders register for life and to be deported after his release from prison, which he said would probably be after serving half the 12 years.
The judge ordered separate sentences of four years and six years respectively for the two sexual assaults to run concurrently with the 12 years for the five rapes and the attempted rape.
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Published: 2006/07/28 17:58:11 GMT
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Canada divided as losses mount due to american friendly fire
Canadians are becoming used to the sight of coffins coming home from Afghanistan.
Each grief-stricken ceremony, almost always accompanied by the mournful sound of military bagpipes, is given extensive coverage by Canada's TV news.
On Sunday, four Canadian soldiers died in a major Nato-led anti-Taleban campaign called Operation Medusa. They were killed during fierce fighting with Taleban insurgents.
Then on Monday, another group of Canadian troops preparing to launch operations from a temporary camp, found themselves strafed, without warning, by two American A-10 Thunderbolt warplanes.
In the so-called "friendly-fire" incident, one of the Canadian soldiers died and 30 more were injured, five of them seriously.
Dog-killing US serviceman jailed
A US serviceman who slashed his wife's pet dog's throat after she said she was leaving has been jailed for 18 weeks.
Dustin Yandell, 21, killed the golden Labrador and dumped its body in a bin outside his home in Newmarket, Suffolk.
At Bury St Edmunds Magistrates Court, Yandell, who is based at RAF Lakenheath, in Suffolk, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a dog.
RSPCA Chief Inspector Mark Thompson said the incident was "wanton cruelty" and one of the worst cases he had seen.
'Deliberate cruelty'
The court heard the defendant told US Air Force investigators he acted after getting upset at something his wife said during a telephone call.
Yandell's wife had returned to the US for the funeral of a friend and had telephoned to say she was not returning.
After slitting its throat, he wrapped the dog's body in a bin liner and placed it in a recycling bin outside his house, where it was found on 28 March by a dustman.
Mr Thompson said: "It's up at the top of the league as far as deliberate cruelty goes.
"I have been doing this job for 20 years and I can only describe this as wanton cruelty."
Magistrates' chairman Colin Reeve told Yandell that prison was the only option because the offence was so serious.
Yandell was also banned from keeping animals for life.
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Published: 2006/09/18 11:34:02 GMT
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Marines charged over Iraq killing
Three US marines are to be tried by a military tribunal for the alleged murder of an Iraqi civilian, the US military has said in a statement.
The three are among eight US personnel who have been charged with the kidnap and murder of Hashim Ibrahim Awad, 52, in the village of Hamdaniya in April.
Prosecutors allege Mr Awad was kidnapped, dragged from his home with his feet bound, and then shot.
Preliminary hearings of some defendants are expected in the coming weeks.
Pte John Jodka is accused of firing at the victim, Corp Marshall Magincalda is accused of kidnap and binding the victim's feet, while L/Cpl Jerry Shumate is alleged to have fired his rifle at him and to have lied to investigators about what had happened.
The US statement said the death penalty would not be sought against any of the three marines, although it is available in the case of premeditated murder.
The shooting of Mr Awad is one of several killings in Iraq in which US troops are accused of murdering Iraqi civilians.
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Published: 2006/09/26 08:40:42 GMT
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US medic in Iraq kidnap plea deal
A US Navy medic has pleaded guilty to helping kidnap an Iraqi civilian in Hamdaniya, while agreeing to testify about his comrades' roles in his death.
Petty Officer Melson J Bacos's plea bargain means he will not face murder charges for the April killing.
Seven marines are at various stages of the military justice process over the kidnap and murder of Hashim Awad.
The case is one of several in which US troops are accused of murdering civilians in Iraq.
'Planting bomb'
According to charge documents presented to the military court, the troops had entered the town near Baghdad searching for an insurgent.
Failing to find the suspect, the men are alleged to have grabbed Mr Awad from his home and shot him.
It was further alleged that an assault rifle and a shovel were left by the body, apparently to make it look like the man had been planting a roadside bomb and had been killed in a gun battle.
Last month the US military said three marines would be tried for murder by a military tribunal.
Pte John Jodka was accused of firing at the victim, Corp Marshall Magincalda was accused of kidnap and binding the victim's feet, while L/Cpl Jerry Shumate was alleged to have fired his rifle at him and to have lied to investigators about what had happened.
The US statement said the death penalty would not be sought against any of the three marines, although it was available in the case of premeditated murder.
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Published: 2006/10/06 16:56:33 GMT
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The ever lengthening list of utterly dishonourable and criminal behaviour continues with the news from the UK that Eleven US Air Force personnel have been arrested and charged with drug dealing from their airbase in the United Kingdom. Daily Mail 8th Oct 2006
Iraq reporter unlawfully killed
A coroner has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing on ITN reporter Terry Lloyd, who was shot dead by US forces in southern Iraq in March 2003.
An inquest heard Mr Lloyd was killed by a US bullet near Basra. His interpreter died and his cameraman is missing.
It was told Mr Lloyd, 50 and originally from Derby, was hit while in a makeshift ambulance, having already been hurt by American-Iraqi crossfire.
The coroner is to ask the attorney general to consider pressing charges.
Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker said he would also be writing to the director of public prosecutions asking for him to investigate the possibility of bringing charges.
The Pentagon denied ever targeting non-combatants, including journalists.
'War crime'
Mr Lloyd's Lebanese interpreter, Hussein Osman, was also killed and French cameraman Fred Nerac is still officially classed as missing, presumed dead. Belgian cameraman Daniel Demoustier was the ITN crew's only survivor.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said Mr Lloyd's killing was a "war crime" and this was echoed by Mr Lloyd's widow, Lyn.
The ITN crew
Terry Lloyd, reporter - killed
Hussein Osman, interpreter - killed
Fred Nerac, cameraman - missing, presumed killed
Daniel Demoustier, cameraman - survived
In a statement she said: "This was a very serious war crime, how else can firing on a vehicle in these circumstances be interpreted?
"This was not a friendly fire incident or a crossfire incident, it was a despicable, deliberate, vengeful act, particularly as it came many minutes after the initial exchange.
"US forces appear to have allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger happy cowboys in an area where civilians were moving around."
A spokesman for the US Department of Defense said: "An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident was completed in May 2003.
"The investigation was limited to the engagement of the vehicle Mr Lloyd was traveling in. The investigation determined that US forces followed the applicable Rules of Engagement
'We do not target non-combatants'
"The Department of Defense has never deliberately targeted non-combatants, including journalists. We have always gone to extreme measures to avoid civilian casualties and collateral damage.
"It has been an unfortunate reality that journalists have died in Iraq. Combat operations are inherently dangerous and we do not take lightly our responsibilities in the conduct of these operations. We do not, nor would we ever, deliberately target a non-combatant civilian or journalist."
His daughter Chelsey said: "The killing of my father would seem to amount to murder, which is deeply shocking."
ITN praised
Mr Lloyd was covering the British and American invasion of Iraq as a "unilateral" journalist, rather than those "embedded" with UK or US forces, who were subject to military censorship.
He and his three colleagues were caught up in a firefight between US and Iraqi forces near the Shatt Al Basra Bridge on 22 March 2003.
After an eight-day inquest Mr Walker cleared ITN of any blame for Mr Lloyd's death and praised him and his team for their "professionalism and dedication".
He said it was his view the American tanks had been first to open fire on the ITN crew's two vehicles.
He added Mr Lloyd would probably have survived the first bullet wound he received, but was killed as he travelled away in a makeshift ambulance.
Mr Walker said it "presented no threat to American forces" since it was a civilian minibus and was facing away from the US tanks.
The killing of my father would seem to amount to murder, which is deeply shocking
Chelsey Lloyd
"I have no doubt it was the fact that the vehicle stopped to pick up survivors that prompted the Americans to fire on that vehicle," he said.
ITN's editor in chief David Mannion said: "I would also like to say something that I know Terry would have wished me to say.
"Independent, unilateral reporting, free from official strictures, is crucial; not simply to us as journalists but to the role we play in a free and democratic society."
Mr Nerac's widow Fabienne said she would continue her "lonely vigil" to find out what happened to her husband.
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Published: 2006/10/13 12:37:25 GMT
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http://armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2332557.php
November 03, 2006
Alleged fragger defers entering plea
By Gina Cavallaro
Staff writer
Staff Sgt. Alberto B. Martinez, who is charged with premeditated murder
in the deaths of two officers last year in Iraq, deferred entering a
plea at his arraignment Friday at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The military judge, Col. Patrick Parrish, granted the request, then set
the first pre-trial motion hearing date for April 16, 2007, and the
opening arguments for the court-martial to begin on June 4, 2007,
according to an Army press release.
The military judge said the panel will be selected prior to June 4, but
set no date for that selection.
Deferring a plea "gives the defense additional time to decide what
their pleas are going to be," said Neal Puckett, a former Marine and
practicing military attorney who's not associated with the Martinez
case. "They're not required to enter a plea at this time."
Martinez is alleged to have killed Capt. Phillip T. Esposito, 30, and
1st Lt. Louis E. Allen, 34, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company of
the New York National Guard's 42nd Infantry Division.
The officers were mortally wounded around 10 p.m., June 7, 2005, by
what officials first believed was an enemy indirect fire attack at
Forward Operating Base Danger, about 80 miles north of Baghdad.
They had been working in the company's first floor office at a building
known as the Water Palace when the explosions occurred. Both died of
their wounds the following day at FOB Speicher outside Tikrit.
Martinez, who was a supply sergeant in the same company, was charged
June 15, 2005, with two specifications of premeditated murder in their
deaths.
Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, the General Court Martial Convening Authority,
referred the charges to General Court Martial on September 27, 2006, as
a capital case.
Martinez is also charged with wrongful possession of a privately owned
firearm, wrongful possession of unexploded ordnance, and wrongful
possession of alcohol, all of which were violations of 42nd ID General
Order No. 1.
Charges also include violation of Article 108 - sale, loss, damage,
destruction, or wrongful disposition of military property of the United
States; and he is charged with one specification of wrongful
disposition of government property by giving printers and copiers to an
Iraqi national. At the 45-minute hearing, Parrish explained Martinez's
rights to him and identified the attorneys representing both the
government and the defense. When asked by the military judge, Martinez
agreed to be represented by the two military attorneys previously
appointed to him.
Parrish then advised Martinez that he was entitled to have the case
heard by a panel composed of a minimum of 12 military members, and that
he could elect that it be composed of either all officers, or of
officers and at least one third enlisted members senior to him in rank.
US serviceman admits Iraq charges
A third US serviceman has pleaded guilty to charges related to the murder of an Iraqi civilian.
Marine Lance Corporal Tyler Jackson, 23, told a military court that his unit deliberately targeted Hashim Ibrahim Awad, believing he was an insurgent.
Eight US personnel were initially accused of murdering Mr Awad.
But another marine and a navy serviceman have already pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Five others have yet to stand trial.
L/Cpl Jackson pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated assault and conspiracy to obstruct justice, in return for his co-operation.
He is due to be sentenced on 16 November. He faces a maximum of 15 years in jail, although the sentence is expected to be reduced because of his plea deal.
Rounds fired
The eight US personnel are accused of taking their 52-year-old disabled victim from his home in Hamdaniya, near Baghdad, and shooting him dead.
The accused are also alleged to have covered up the circumstances of his death.
In his testimony, L/Cpl Jackson said his squad had believed Mr Awad was responsible for planting roadside bombs, including one which killed four marines.
He said he had agreed with the plan to kill Mr Awad.
"Everyone fired rounds, including myself, but I fired my rounds above him. I knew he was going to be shot, but I didn't want to be the one to do so," L/Cpl Jackson said.
It was only later that they realised they had grabbed the wrong man, the court heard.
The accused were taken out of Iraq and held at Camp Pendleton in California after local Iraqis reportedly told marine leaders about the alleged incident.
The shooting of Mr Awad is one of several killings in Iraq in which US troops are accused of murdering Iraqi civilians.
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Published: 2006/11/07 13:48:27 GMT
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US soldier admits Iraq girl rape
A US Army soldier has pleaded guilty to raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and helping murder her and her family.
James Barker agreed to the plea deal at the start of his court-martial in the US to avoid the death penalty, his civilian lawyer said.
A criminal investigation began in June into the killing of the family of four in their home in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, in March 2006.
Specialist Barker is one of four US soldiers charged with murder.
They are alleged to have helped a former private - who has since been discharged from the army - to plan, carry out and cover up the attack.
Two of the soldiers could face the death penalty if found guilty.
All four soldiers belong to the 2nd Brigade of the elite 101st Airborne Division.
Separate trial
Specialist Barker had agreed to co-operate with prosecutors and will testify against the others, his civilian lawyer, David Sheldon, said.
The others charged with rape and murder were Pte Jesse Spielman, Sgt Paul Cortez, and Pte Bryan Howard.
In addition, former soldier Steven Green has been charged in a civilian court and is awaiting trial in a Kentucky jail.
He was discharged from the army for a personality disorder earlier this year, and in July pleaded not guilty to charged of murder and sexual assault.
Later on Wednesday, a military court in California is due to hand down a sentence to a private who admitted to involvement in the death of an Iraqi civilian near the town of Hamdaniya last April.
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Published: 2006/11/15 18:55:16 GMT
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US marine jailed for Iraq death
By David Willis
BBC News, Camp Pendleton, California
A US marine has received an 18-month prison sentence for his part in killing an unarmed man in Iraq.
Pte John Jodka is one of eight servicemen implicated in the attack seven months ago in Hamdania, in which a 52-year-old man died.
The judge said he would have sentenced Jodka to five years, but he was bound by a "very fortuitous" pre-trial deal.
Jodka, who apologised to the victim's family, is expected to give evidence against the other defendants.
They are expected to face murder charges, and they could face the death penalty if convicted.
By giving evidence against them, Pte Jodka stands to receive a general discharge from the marines, although the judge, Lt Col David Jones, said that he would have given him a dishonourable discharge.
Disabled grandfather
At 20 years of age, Pte Jodka is the youngest and lowest-ranking member of a group of marines who were deployed in Iraq earlier this year.
It is alleged that the eight-strong team went looking for a suspected insurgent.
When they failed to find him the men became frustrated and dragged a disabled grandfather from his home, bound and beat him and then shot him to death.
In court, Pte Jodka apologised to the family of the Iraqi man who died and to fellow members of the Marine corps.
He also talked about conditions in Iraq, referring to the fear and frustration he and his colleagues felt there and telling the court that he often felt poorly trained for the duties he had been asked to undertake, including counter-terrorism.
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Published: 2006/11/16 02:29:20 GMT
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Prison for marine over Iraq death
A US marine has become the third serviceman to be sentenced for his part in killing a 52-year-old man in Iraq.
Lance Cpl Tyler Jackson, 23, received a 21-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to reduced charges and agreeing to testify against fellow soldiers.
He is one of eight to be implicated in the attack seven months ago in Hamdaniya in which an unarmed man died.
A Navy medic, Melson Bacos, and marine John Jodka have already been jailed for a year and for 18 months respectively.
The terms of their sentences were reduced because they had made pre-trial agreements.
Similarly, in Jackson's case military judge Lt Col Joseph Lisiecki sentenced the marine to nine years in jail, but a deal with prosecutors meant the actual term was limited to 21 months, of which he has already served six.
Public disquiet
Speaking at the hearing, held at Camp Pendleton, California, Jackson expressed regret for his failure to prevent the killing.
"I wish I'd had the courage to prevent his death," he said. His defence lawyer said he had been led astray.
The BBC's David Willis, in California, says other more senior officers among the defendants are expected to face kidnapping and murder charges.
They could face the death penalty if convicted in trials that are likely to drag on towards the end of 2007, our correspondent says.
It is alleged that the eight-strong team went looking for a suspected insurgent.
When they failed to find him the men became frustrated and dragged a disabled grandfather from his home, bound and beat him and then shot dead.
The case comes on the heels of the US mid-term elections, where Iraq featured as a key issue for voters.
Our correspondent says the case will feed into public disquiet about the conduct of the war in Iraq.
In another high profile case, US soldiers are facing the prospect of prosecution over the deaths of 24 Iraqis at Haditha in November 2005.
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Published: 2006/11/17 03:22:24 GMT
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US marine given 40 years for rape
A US marine has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for raping a local woman in the Philippines last year.
The sentence was handed down to Lance Corporal Daniel Smith in a Manila courtroom for the rape of the woman in a van at a former US navy base.
Three other defendants, Lance Corporals Keith Silkwood and Dominic Duplantis and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier, were all cleared of rape.
The case had sparked strong protests from women's and left-wing groups.
About 100 protesters were outside the courthouse for the verdict.
They sang the nationalist song My Country and called for the end of the Visiting Forces Agreement that covers the use of overseas troops in training exercises.
Damages
The attack took place at the former US naval base of Subic Bay, west of Manila, in November last year.
Smith, 21, from St Louis, Missouri, had said the sex was consensual.
But Judge Benjamin Pozon said the woman was so drunk she could not have consented to sex.
He said the length of the sentence was aimed at "protecting women against the unbridled bestiality of persons who cannot control their libidinous proclivity".
Smith was also ordered to pay the defendant 100,000 pesos ($2,000) in damages.
The marines had been held in custody at the US embassy, after the US refused to hand them over until the end of the trial.
The defendants were stationed in Okinawa, Japan, but had just finished manoeuvres in the Philippines when the attack occurred.
The case created strong emotions in the Philippines, with protesters often appearing at the courtroom.
They had held placards including the phrases "Justice for Nicole," "Jail the Yankees," and "Rage Against Rape".
Nicole was the pseudonym given to the victim, now 23, in the case.
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Published: 2006/12/04 07:39:13 GMT
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Yanks Kill another Brit marine 8 Dec 2006
The British commando killed in Afghanistan this week died when hit by "friendly fire" from an American plane, Royal Marines who fought beside him claimed on Thursday.
In chilling detail that provides a stark insight into the dangers faced by British troops, they told how Jonathan Wigley was killed as a result of support fire from a US A-10 tankbuster called in to help the Marines during a ferocious 10-hour battle with Tailban gunmen on Monday.
Marine Wigley, of Zulu Company 45 Commando suffered massive chest wounds and was flown by helicopter to hospital at Camp Bastion where he died. A second Marine, who has not been named, was also seriously injured.
One British soldier who was five feet from the 21-year-old Wigley specifically identified the fatal fire as coming from an A-10. Other British soldiers backed his claims.
"I saw it," said the soldier, who cannot be named because he is not officially allowed to speak about the death while it is still under investigation.
"It was the A-10. I was five feet away," he said. "We called in a strike on the next trench. Then I saw it swooping toward us. I will never forget that noise. It was horrible."
He told how Marines had launched a desperate battle to save their comrade.
"We kept going for 20 minutes, but he had stopped breathing," said the soldier, his hands making gestures as if still pounding on his fallen comrade's chest to keep him alive.
He also tended to another Marine hit in the same strike, wrapping a tourniquet around his arm to stop it bleeding. All the while, they continued to take enemy fire. "I threw myself on top of him to stop him getting hit," said the soldier.
A British armoured ambulance from C Squadron, the Light Dragoons, drove through mortar fire to reach the fallen men and ferry them to a helicopter.
Medical crew described a harrowing ride under fire over ditches as they fought to revive him while the other wounded marine writhed in pain from his shattered arm.
The remaining troops finally withdrew, forced to blast their way through walls to escape from mud-brick housing compounds as Taliban tried to encircle them, the soldier said.
The soldier, a demolitions expert, said he used up nearly an entire rucksack of explosives to create an escape route.
"We blew down one wall, the blast knocked us back five feet," he said.
Eventually they succeeded in withdrawing before nightfall, hiding behind armoured vehicles which they used as cover.
Last night as an investigation probed the death of the 41st British soldier to die in Afghanistan since the 2001 operation to topple the Taliban, Lieutenant-Colonel Andy Price said : "It is possible, but not confirmed, that Marine Wigley's death may have been the result of fire from ISAF aircraft operating in support.
"This had been a protracted engagement, and the fatal injuries were received at a time when ISAF aircraft were engaging Taliban forces in very close proximity to Marine Wigley's position."
The dead soldier was part of a Marine commando force that swept into wheat fields south of a bridgehead in the village of Garmser, provoking the biggest battle in the southern part of Helmand since British troops arrived in the province earlier this year.
The Marine, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, was hit about midday as the Islamist militants launched an unexpectedly fierce counter-attack and the British forces called in air strikes from helicopters, and F-18 and A-10 fixed-wing planes. Giant B1 bombers also dropped 500lb bombs.
Apache attack helicopters flown by British pilots took part in the support operation pounding Taliban position in addition to the A-10 and F-18 fixed-wing planes with American pilots.
The operation was aimed at driving Taliban from the village they had been using to launch attacks on British and NATO forces but it was the Marines who withdrew after fighters launched their counter-attack from underground bunkers.
Friendly-fire deaths are not unusual in Afghanistan. Such incidents have become a problem for NATO forces since guerrillas often move close into NATO positions, making it difficult for aircraft to engage them without hitting allied troops.
Canadian, U.S. and Afghan forces have previously lost men because of misguided fire. But this is believed to be the first such British death in Afghanistan.
During the 2003 war to topple Saddam Hussein in Iraq, British forces suffered at least three "friendly fire" tragedies with the deaths of two British soldiers resulting from A-10 attacks which hit armoured vehicles.
It was fire from two American A-10 pilots that killed nine British soldiers from the Royal Fusiliers in the worst "blue-on-blue" tragedy in the 1991 Gulf War that drove Saddam's forces from Kuwait.
The British spokesman Lieut-Col. Price said that, even if friendly strikes were found to have killed Wigley, "there is no question that close air support also saved the lives of many of our men that day".
Marine Wigley, who joined the British Forces as a 17-year-old, was the 515th member of the NATO and Coalition forces to die in Afghanistan since 2001.
The village of Garmser has frequently been the scene of intense and heroic fighting which is said to have been the the fiercest since the Korean War.
In one episode, British soldiers defended a strategic town in a heroic action compared to the battle of Rorke's Drift, when 150 British soldiers held off 4,000 Zulu warriors for two days in January 1879.
British, American and Dutch aircraft have dropped hundreds of bombs on enemy positions around the village, often in the middle of frantic firefights with friendly forces in grave danger of being overrun.
The Taliban fighters have no protection against the coalition's devastating airpower but often adopt the deliberate tactic of fighting British forces from as close range as possible, making it extremely difficult for pilots circling overhead to pick out enemy positions and fire rockets or drop bombs safely without risk of hitting their own side.
A 1,000lb bomb has a killing radius of up to 800 yards, but in Helmand British and U.S. pilots have frequently had to drop such weapons little more than 100 yards from their own desperate troops - while flying at 20,000ft or more to avoid ground fire.
Commanders believe successful actions over the summer by British soldiers defending towns in northern Helmand, and recent ceasefire deals struck by tribal elders, have pushed Taliban forces further south.
The death of the Marine came two days after British soldiers were accused of shooting civilians in Afhganistan following a suicide bombing that injured three commandos.
US sub collides with Japan ship
A US nuclear-powered submarine has collided with a Japanese tanker near the Straits of Hormuz, Japanese and US government officials have said.
The USS Newport News did not suffer substantial damage, and there were no injuries to crew, a US Navy spokeswoman told the AFP news agency.
There were no oil spills from Japanese tanker, the Mogamigawa, and no injuries, a company official said.
The tanker will dock in the United Arab Emirates to check the damage.
The bow of the submarine collided with the stern of the oil tanker at 1915GMT just outside the busy shipping lanes of the Straits of Hormuz.
The Mogamigawa is operated by Kawasaki Kisen Ltd, the Kyodo news agency reported.
Japanese oil company Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. told the agency the ship was en route from the Gulf to Singapore with a crew of eight Japanese and 16 Filipinos.
A US Navy spokesman in Bahrain said that there had been a collision.
"I can confirm that an incident took place between one of our submarines and a merchant ship," said Commander Kevin Aandahl of the US Fifth Fleet.
The 110-metre (360-foot) USS Newport News carries a crew of 127.
The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Tokyo, says there will be embarrassment for the US navy over the incident but also relief that the collision was not more serious.
In February 2001, the US nuclear submarine Greenville sank a Japanese fisheries training vessel, the Ehime Maru, off Hawaii, killing nine sailors on the fishing boat.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6243395.stm
Published: 2007/01/09 06:29:46 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Spain seeks US soldiers' arrest
Spain has issued an international arrest warrant for three US soldiers accused of causing the death of a TV cameraman during the Iraq war.
Jose Couso, 37, died in April 2003 after a US tank fired on a hotel used by foreign journalists in Baghdad.
The US has admitted its tank crew fired at the Palestine Hotel but has cleared Sgt Thomas Gibson, Cpt Philip Wolford and Lt-Col Philip De Camp of blame.
The soldiers say they thought they were being shot at when they opened fire.
Caught on film
The Palestine Hotel was the base for almost all the foreign media crews in Baghdad during the US-led invasion of Iraq. Mr Couso was working for Spain's Telecinco television station at the time.
Reuters cameraman Taras Portsyuk, a Ukrainian, was also killed in the blast and three other Reuters staff injured.
Footage of the incident on the day before the fall of the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein - which did not record any fire from the hotel - was witnessed around the world.
A US review of the incident ruled that the use of force by the tank was justified, but the family of Mr Couso decided to press criminal charges through the Spanish courts.
Freeze on assets
In December 2006, Spain's supreme court overturned a previous high court decision and ruled that the Spanish legal system was competent to judge the three US soldiers.'
As he issued the international search-and-capture order for the three tank crew members, Judge Santiago Pedraz demanded that prosecutors also investigate whether it was possible to freeze the soldiers' US assets in case of future compensation claims.
The BBC's Danny Wood in Madrid says Spain's justice system is accustomed to taking on controversial international cases.
In 1998, Spain attempted to extradite Chile's former leader, Augusto Pinochet, while he was in London.
The British government turned down that request, and the US authorities are very unlikely to co-operate with this latest international arrest warrant issued by a Spanish judge, our correspondent says.
But four years after the death of Mr Couso, his family have achieved a symbolic victory, he says.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/6268461.stm
Published: 2007/01/16 18:51:39 GMT
© BBC MMVII
'Friendly fire' death in Pakistan
Pakistan says US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have mistakenly killed one of its soldiers at a border post.
Two other soldiers were wounded when coalition forces opened fire in the Shawal area of North Waziristan region, a Pakistan military statement said.
It said a "strong protest" had been lodged with the coalition, which said it was investigating the incident.
Earlier, at least three Pakistani security personnel were killed in a roadside bombing in North Waziristan.
'Inside Afghanistan'
The BBC's Haroon Rashid in Peshawar says coalition forces have in the past violated Pakistani air space, but this would be the first time Pakistani troops have been killed.
I cannot confirm or deny loss or injury of Pakistani military
Paul Fitzpatrick,
US military spokesman
Early last year US planes bombed three compounds in the Bajaur tribal region, killing at least 13 people. Pakistan protested then too.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/01/22 16:40:30 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US soldier jailed for Iraq deaths
A US soldier has been jailed for 18 years after pleading guilty to murdering three Iraqi detainees.
Pte Corey Clagett, 21, who is the third soldier to plead guilty in connection with the case, made the plea in a deal with military prosecutors.
The deaths happened near Tikrit in northern Iraq on 9 May 2006.
A fourth soldier from the 101st Airborne Division, squad leader Staff Sgt Raymond Girouard, is due to face court-martial in the coming months.
Under the deal, Clagett admitted charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Earlier this month another member of the group, Specialist William Hunsaker, was jailed for 18 years after pleading guilty to murder.
Another soldier has admitted aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon.
The men initially told prosecutors that they shot the detainees because they were trying to escape.
But during his trial, Hunsaker testified that Sgt Girouard gave an order to kill them.
"He told us to cut the zip ties, tell them to run and shoot them. I went out and did just that," he told the court.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/6299975.stm
Published: 2007/01/25 20:18:52 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Five charged over US Iraq 'scam'
A US court has charged three reserve army officers and two civilians with using millions of dollars of Iraq reconstruction money for personal gain.
The group are accused of directing at least $8m (£4m) to a construction firm run by a US businessman in return for luxuries such as cars and jewellery.
The officers were responsible for supervising how some $26bn was spent on reconstruction projects in Iraq.
One man has already been jailed and another awaits sentence over the scam.
Cash and jewellery
According to the 25-count indictment, Col Curtis G Whiteford, Lt Col Debra M Harrison and Lt Col Michael B Wheeler channelled the funds into a construction and services company operated by US businessman Philip H Bloom.
US citizen Michael Morris is alleged to have acted as a go-between, illegally wiring money and securing the goods.
This indictment alleges that the defendants flagrantly enriched themselves at the expense of the Iraqi people
Paul J McNulty
US deputy attorney general
Mr Morris was arrested in Romania, from where the US is seeking to extradite him back to New Jersey.
The other indicted civilian, William Driver, is Col Harrison's husband.
The group is alleged to have run the scam for two years, from December 2003 when Iraq was governed by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
The officers are alleged to have rigged contracts being awarded by the CPA so they were won by Bloom's company.
In return, Bloom is alleged to have furnished the group and others with over $1m in cash, vehicles, jewellery, computers, business class airline tickets, alcohol and promises of employment.
Mr Driver is charged with helping to smuggle at least $10,000 into the US to help pay for home improvements.
"This indictment alleges that the defendants flagrantly enriched themselves at the expense of the Iraqi people - the very people they were there to help," said Deputy Attorney General Paul J McNulty.
"US government officials working in Iraq are not for sale," he said.
Last week former Pentagon contractor Robert Stein was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to the scam.
Bloom has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentence.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/6340717.stm
Published: 2007/02/07 22:22:27 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US soldier on Italy murder charge
An Italian judge has ordered a US soldier to face trial over the death of an Italian intelligence agent in a car at a checkpoint in Baghdad.
Nicola Calipari, 51, was shot in March 2005 as he escorted Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena to the airport after securing her release from kidnappers.
The soldier, Mario Lozano, will face a charge of murder in a case that put serious strain on US-Italian relations.
He will probably be tried in absentia as he has been cleared in the US.
'First step'
Spc Lozano, of the New York-based 69th Infantry Regiment, is indicted for murder and attempted murder.
A second Italian agent, who was driving the car, and Ms Sgrena were wounded.
DIFFERING ACCOUNTS
US military : Car approaches checkpoint at high speed
Troops attempt to tell driver to stop with arm signals, lights and warning shots
Soldiers shoot into engine
Italian government : No warning signs to motorists about impending checkpoint
Car not speeding and did not accelerate after warning shots
Proper inquiry impossible because vehicles removed and army logs destroyed just after shooting
Mr Calipari's widow, Rosa, said: "This looks to me like the first step on a long road toward truth and justice, and I hope justice will come in the end."
Ms Sgrena said: "We don't want to make Mario Lozano the scapegoat, but we want to find out who was responsible and have justice."
The Italian lawyer for Spc Lozano expressed surprise at the ruling: "[Lozano] was carrying out his duty, which is something that the judge did not consider relevant."
The trial has been set for 17 April.
The US and Italy drew widely differing conclusions in their investigations into the case, particularly over the speed of the car.
Mr Calipari was mourned as a national hero in Italy.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/6339021.stm
Published: 2007/02/07 15:09:46 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US 'erased Afghan attack footage'
The Associated Press is to complain to the US military after journalists said US soldiers deleted footage of the aftermath of an attack in Afghanistan.
President Hamid Karzai said 10 people died when coalition forces opened fire on civilians after a suicide attack in eastern Nangarhar province on Sunday.
Journalists working for AP said US troops erased images of a vehicle in which three people had been shot dead.
The US military said it could not confirm its troops had seized any film.
'Co-ordinated attack'
The Americans say the fighting started when a convoy of marines was attacked by a suicide bomber and came under co-ordinated small-arms fire.
Two soldiers with a translator came and said, 'Why are you taking pictures? You don't have permission'
Photographer Rahmat Gul
They say their soldiers returned fire, and acknowledge that at least eight Afghan civilians were killed, with a further 35 injured.
Thousands of local people took to the streets on Sunday to protest against what happened. The Afghan authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the militant attack.
'You will face problems'
In a report from Kabul, the Associated Press (AP) said it "plans to lodge a protest with the American military".
A freelance photographer working for AP and a cameraman working for AP Television News say they arrived at the site about half an hour after the suicide bombing.
Witnesses at the scene said three civilians in the four-wheel drive vehicle had been killed by US forces fleeing the attack, the journalists said.
"When I went near the four-wheel drive, I saw the Americans taking pictures of the same car, so I started taking pictures," photographer Rahmat Gul said.
"Two soldiers with a translator came and said, 'Why are you taking pictures? You don't have permission.'"
Mr Gul said troops took his camera, deleted his photos and returned it to him.
His APTN colleague, who did not want to be named, said he was told he could film the scene - but when he did so a US soldier got very angry and deleted any footage that included the Americans.
Khanwali Kamran, a reporter for the Afghan channel Ariana Television, said the American soldiers also deleted his footage, AP reported.
"They warned me that if it is aired ... then, 'You will face problems,'" Mr Kamran was quoted by the news agency as saying.
Reporters Without Borders condemned the alleged actions of the US forces, saying they dealt with the media poorly.
"Why did the soldiers do it if they don't have anything to hide?" said Jean-Francois Julliard, a spokesman for the Paris-based group.
US military spokesman Lt Col David Accetta said he did not have any confirmed reports that coalition forces "have been involved in confiscating cameras or deleting images".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6419235.stm
Published: 2007/03/05 12:20:22 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US soldier in Iraq murder trial
The last of four US soldiers has gone on trial for his part in the murder of three Iraqi detainees on 9 May 2006.
Sgt Raymond Girouard, 24, is the most senior soldier to face a court-martial for the killings during a raid on a suspected insurgent camp near Samarra.
He denies ordering his soldiers to shoot the Iraqi prisoners, but admits his role in covering up the deaths.
Two soldiers have pleaded guilty to murder and were jailed for 18 years. Another was sentenced to nine months.
Specialist William Hunsaker and Private First Class Corey Clagett - who admitted to releasing and then shooting the men - received 18-year sentences in a deal with military prosecutors.
Specialist Juston Graber - who said he killed an injured prisoner in what he called a mercy killing - admitted aggravated assault and was jailed for nine months.
'Cover-up'
Hunsaker testified on Tuesday that Sgt Girouard gave him orders to free the three Iraqi detainees, and then shoot them as they fled.
Hunsaker said that after the squad took the detainees into custody, Sgt Girouard told the soldiers the group's first sergeant was angry the three men were still alive.
Hunsaker said he and Corey Clagett took the detainees outside and told them to run.
"I shot him [the first detainee] where his heart should be. I moved from right to left. I took aim in the same manner and aimed for the heart and the head," Hunsaker told the court.
He said that after the detainees were shot, Sgt Girouard cut him with a pocket knife to make it appear there had been a struggle.
Sgt Girouard's lawyer, Anita Gorecki, said in her opening statement that Sgt Girouard did not order his soldiers to shoot the Iraqi detainees, but that he did help cover up the deaths.
"He saw what they did. He realised they killed the detainees, and in that moment, yes, he decided to help his squad members," Ms Gorecki told the military court.
The case is one of two incidents involving allegations of civilian killings involving the 101st Airborne Division.
In the other case, four soldiers and a former soldier are accused of raping and murdering a 14-year-old girl in March 2006, and killing her family.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/6448281.stm
Published: 2007/03/13 22:55:26 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US 'excessive' in Afghan attack
US marines violated international humanitarian law by using excessive violence in reaction to a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan, a report says.
The reaction was disproportionate and indiscriminate force used, it said.
At least 12 civilians died and 35 were injured during the incident which took place on 4 March in Nangarhar province.
A preliminary US investigation agreed with the report that the unit did not come under small-arms fire after the bombing, US media reports said.
Maj Gen Frank H Kearney III, who ordered the inquiry, told the Washington Post newspaper it had found no evidence that the victims were fighters.
"My investigating officer believes these folks were innocent," he was quoted as saying.
A US military spokesman said shortly after the incident that the civilians might have been killed by incoming fire from an ambush by insurgents which followed the bombing.
Deleted footage
The Afghan report said that, in failing to distinguish between civilian and legitimate military targets, the US marine corps used "indiscriminate force".
We have testimony from marines that is in conflict with unanimous testimony from civilians at the site
Maj-Gen Frank H Kearney III
Head of US inquiry
"Their actions thus constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law standards," it said.
Evidence of a complex ambush involving militant gunmen who fired on the convoy was "far from conclusive", the report said.
According to the authors of the report, who spoke to victims, police and hospital officials as well as eyewitnesses, the marines fired indiscriminately on civilians and their vehicles as they left the scene.
Meanwhile Maj Gen Kearney said no ammunition casings had been found that might substantiate reports that the marines were fired on.
"We found ... no brass that we can confirm that small-arms fire came at them," he told the Washington Post.
"We have testimony from marines that is in conflict with unanimous testimony from civilians at the site."
Journalists said US soldiers deleted footage, including photos and videos, showing the aftermath of the Nangarhar violence.
The soldiers were moved out of Afghanistan after the incident.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6556721.stm
Published: 2007/04/15 06:48:25 GMT
© BBC MMVII
Marine urinated on Haditha victim
A US marine angered by the death of a comrade urinated on one of the 24 Iraqi civilians killed by his unit in Haditha in 2005, he admitted on Wednesday.
Sgt Sanick Dela Cruz also said his squad leader shot five of the Iraqis as they stood with their hands in the air.
Sgt Dela Cruz was speaking at a hearing for one of the four officers charged with dereliction of duty for failing to investigate the killings.
Three other marines have been charged with second-degree murder.
Iraqi witnesses say the shootings were in retaliation for a roadside bomb that had killed Lance Cpl Miguel Terrazas as his convoy drove through Haditha, 240km (150 miles) north-west of Baghdad, on 19 November 2005.
'Bad thing'
Sgt Dela Cruz told the military courtroom at Camp Pendleton in California of the distress he felt after discovering the explosion had ripped Lance Cpl Terrazas, known as TJ, in half.
"I know it was a bad thing what I've done, but I done it because I was angry TJ was dead and I pissed on one Iraqi's head," he said.
He also testified that after the explosion Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich had shot dead five men as they stood by a white car with the hands in the air.
"They were just standing, looking around, had hands up," he said.
"Then I saw one of them drop in the middle."
"Looked to my left, saw Sgt Wuterich shooting."
Afterwards Sgt Dela Cruz said he himself had "sprayed" the bodies with gunfire.
"I knew they were dead, I wanted to make sure," he explained.
Immunity
Sgt Wuterich then shot each of the men in the upper body and head, Sgt Dela Cruz testified.
He told me that if anybody asked, [we should say] they were running away and the Iraqi army shot them
Sgt Sanick Dela Cruz
"He went to every single one of them, sir, and shot them," he added.
"He told me that if anybody asked, they were running away and the Iraqi army shot them."
Sgt Wuterich's lawyer, Neal Puckett, said Sgt Dela Cruz's account was "false" and that he had told investigators up to five different versions of the events.
"It's unfortunate that in exchange for his freedom he's being forced to testify against his brothers," Mr Puckett told the Associated Press.
In April, the Marine Corps dropped all charges against Sgt Dela Cruz and granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.
If found guilty, the three marines charged with second-degree murder could face life imprisonment.
The Haditha inquiry is just one of a number the US military has been conducting into incidents of alleged unlawful killings by US forces in Iraq.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/05/10 10:23:35 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US attack 'kills Iraqi children'
By James Shaw
BBC News, Baghdad
An attack by a US helicopter against suspected insurgents in Iraq has killed a number of children at a primary school, Iraqi security sources say.
The attack took place in Diyala province north-east of Baghdad, the sources say.
A spokesman for the US military said there had been helicopter activity in the area but he was not able to confirm any other details.
The school is in the village of al-Nedawat close to the Iranian border.
Investigation
One police officer said the helicopter was shot at from the ground during the morning.
The school was said to have been hit when the aircraft returned fire.
The officer said police had spoken to eyewitnesses and that six children had been killed and six injured but the figures have not been independently confirmed.
US troops on Iraq murder charges
The US military in Iraq has charged two of its soldiers with the murder of three Iraqis between April and June in the Iskandariya area, south of Baghdad.
Both of the men are accused of premeditated murder and placing weapons beside the bodies of the dead, who were killed in three separate incidents.
Staff Sergeant Michael A Hensley is accused of three murders and Specialist Jorge G Sandoval of one.
Charges were brought after fellow soldiers alerted the authorities.
The soldiers are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of any alleged offense
US statement
Both suspects, who are from the Alaskan-based 25th Infantry Division, are now being held in US custody in Kuwait. Spc Sandoval was detained while at home in Texas.
The military statement announcing the charges says the men are "merely an accusation of wrongdoing".
"The soldiers are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of any alleged offense," it adds.
Pentagon investigators are already conducting a number of investigations into incidents of alleged unlawful killings by US forces in Iraq.
In the biggest case, six members of one marine battalion are accused of a role in the killing of 24 civilians in the town of Haditha, north-west of Baghdad, in late 2005.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2007/06/30 08:51:02 GMT
© BBC MMVII
US soldier sentenced to 110 years
A US soldier has been sentenced to 110 years in prison for his role in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the killing of her family.
Private Jesse Spielman was convicted of conspiracy to rape and murder.
He said he acted as a lookout for four other soldiers who carried out the attack in Mahmudiya in March 2006.
Pfc Spielman was given the longest sentence of the group. Three other soldiers pleaded guilty and received sentences between five and 100 years.
The fifth man faces trial in a civil court having been discharged from the army.
'Untrue' allegations
Earlier in the week-long court martial at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Pfc Spielman of the 101st Airborne Division admitted arson, conspiracy to obstruct justice, wrongfully touching a corpse and drinking.
Although prosecutors did not accuse Pfc Spielman of taking part in the rape or murders, they argued he had participated in the planning of the attack while drinking whisky and playing cards with the other soldiers.
One of the soldiers convicted of the attack, Sgt Paul Cortez, said that Pfc Spielman had stood within a few feet of them as they held down Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and had done nothing to stop them raping her.
The soldiers then killed Miss Janabi, her parents and her younger sister.
But another, Spc James Baker, testified that several portions of a sworn statement, which he had allowed investigators to draft, had falsely exaggerated Pfc Spielman's role in the attack.
On Friday evening, the military jury ruled that Pfc Spielman was guilty of conspiracy to commit rape, rape, housebreaking with intent to commit rape and four counts of felony murder.
Spc Barker, Sgt Cortez and another soldier, Pf. Bryan L Howard, pleaded guilty for their roles in the slayings and received sentences of five to 100 years under plea agreements with prosecutors.
The alleged ringleader, former Pvt Steven Green was discharged from the army for a "personality disorder" before being charged. He faces a possible death sentence if found guilty by a civil court in Kentucky.
On Friday, a US marine sergeant was found guilty of murdering an Iraqi civilian in a separate attack, and jailed for 15 years by a court martial in California.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6930845.stm
Published: 2007/08/05 00:06:39 GMT
© BBC MMVII
<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/world/middleeast/28sniper.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin>
An Army sniper is taught to kill people "calmly and deliberately," even when
they pose no immediate danger to him. "A sniper," Army Field Manual 23-10
goes on to state, "must not be susceptible to emotions such as anxiety or
remorse."
But in a crowded military courtroom seemingly stunned into silence on
Thursday, Sgt. Evan Vela all but broke down as he described firing two
bullets into an unarmed Iraqi man his unit arrested last May.
In anguished, eloquent sentences, Sergeant Vela, a member of an elite sniper
scout platoon with the First Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, quietly
described how his squad leader, Staff Sgt. Michael A. Hensley, cut off the
man's handcuffs, wrestled him to his feet and ordered Sergeant Vela,
standing a few feet away, to fire the 9-millimeter service pistol into the
detainee's head.
"I heard the word 'Shoot,'" Sergeant Vela recalled. "I don't remember
pulling the trigger," he said. "I just came through and the guy was dead,
and it just took me a second to realize the shot had come from the pistol."
Then, Sergeant Vela said, as the man, a suspected insurgent, convulsed on
the ground, Sergeant Hensley kicked him in the throat and told Sergeant Vela
to shoot him again. Sergeant Vela, who is not on trial but faces murder
charges in connection with the killing, said he fired a second time.
His testimony on Thursday, in the court-martial of Specialist Jorge G.
Sandoval Jr., another sniper who is accused of murder, provided a glimpse
into the dark moments of a platoon exhausted, emotionally and physically, by
days-long missions in the region south of Baghdad that soldiers call the
"triangle of death." In their testimony, Sergeant Vela and other soldiers
described how their teams were pushed beyond limits by battalion commanders
eager to raise their kill ratio against a ruthless enemy.
During a separate hearing here in July, Sgt. Anthony G. Murphy said he and
other First Battalion snipers felt "an underlying tone" of disappointment
from field commanders seeking higher enemy body counts.
"It just kind of felt like, 'What are you guys doing wrong out there?'" he
said at the time.
That attitude among superiors changed earlier this year after Sergeant
Hensley, an expert marksman, became a team leader, according to soldiers'
testimony. Though sometimes unorthodox, soldiers said, Sergeant Hensley and
other snipers around him began racking up many more kills, pleasing the
commanders.
Soldiers also testified that battalion commanders authorized a classified
new technique that used fake explosives and detonation wires as "bait" to
lure and kill suspected insurgents around Iskandariya, a hostile Sunni Arab
region south of Baghdad.
As their superiors sought less restrictive rules of engagement - to legalize
the combat killing of anyone who made a soldier "feel threatened," for
example, instead of showing hostile intent or actions - the baiting program,
as it was known, succeeded in killing more Iraqis suspected of being
terrorists, soldiers testified.
But testimony in proceedings for Sergeant Hensley and, on Thursday, for
Specialist Sandoval, both of whom face murder charges in connection with
separate killings of Iraqi men last spring, suggest that as the integrity of
the battalion's secret baiting program began to crack, so did Sergeant
Hensley.
Only a select group of snipers in the battalion were told of the program,
but many more were ordered, without explanation, to carry the baiting items
on missions, creating rumors that the items were intended to be planted on
victims of unjustified killings, soldiers testified.
Sergeant Hensley, according to several snipers, added to such suspicions
when he told a junior member of his team to plant a roll of copper wire -
clear contraband - on a suspected insurgent that Specialist Sandoval killed
on April 27 after being authorized to shoot by his platoon commander.
(...)
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8SAE9G00&show_article=1
WASHINGTON (AP) - A U.S. Patriot missile was accidentally fired from a military base in Qatar, hitting a nearby farm, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the missile landed in an "unpopulated farm area" and no one was injured.
The incident-which occurred Monday night in Washington time, Tuesday in Qatar-is being investigated, Whitman said.
"It's been described as an accidental discharge; beyond that it's just not clear at this time" what happened, Whitman said.
The official Qatar News Agency, quoting an unnamed official with Qatar Armed Forces General Command, said the missile was erroneously fired from Camp As Sayliyah, located on the outskirts of Doha and caused no damage.
Ø CAPTAIN OF NUCLEAR SUBMARINE SACKED FOR DANGEROUS INCOMPETANCECommander Michael Portland Captain of the USS Hampton has been sacked from his post as captain for failing to carry out daily safety checks on his nuclear reactor and weapons systems. He even went so far as to falsify safety records. The negligence could have caused an explosion aboard the submarine according to defence dept officials, the events happened while the vessel was docked in San Diego. This come after a major blunder in september when the USAF had to discipline SEVENTY airmen after they LOST 6 Nuclear weapons.
Serious questions are now being asked about the competance of the officers in charge of the worlds mightiest nuclear arsenal.
*** I have being saying it for years, the yanks are definately the most poweful military in the world but they are also the most useless' inept, and incompetant military in history.
Record numbers of US troops deserting
Ø http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071116/D8SV1IUO1.htmlWASHINGTON (AP) - Soldiers strained by six years at war are deserting
their posts at the highest rate since 1980, with the number of Army
deserters this year showing an 80 percent increase since the United
States invaded Iraq in 2003.
While the totals are still far lower than they were during the Vietnam
War, when the draft was in effect, they show a steady increase over
the past four years and a 42 percent jump since last year.
(...)
Ø US forces were caught red-handed ...secretly IMPORTING at least 2,300 banned chemical weapons (WMDs) into Iraq.
Any guesses where they plan to use them?
"US VIOLATES CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION"
http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/cgi-bin/blogs/voices.php/2007/11/09/p20919
[
The United States has been caught with at least 2,386 chemical weapons deployed
in Iraq. The items appear in a spectacular 2,000 page leak of nearly one million
items of US military equipment deployed in Iraq given to the government
transparency group Wikileaks. The items are labeled under the military's own
NATO supply classification Chemical weapons and equipment. ]
http://wikileaks.org/wiki/US_violates_chemical_weapons_convention
Ø The unauthorized Aug. 29/30 cross-country flight of a B-52H
Stratofortress armed with six nuclear-tipped AGM-29 Advanced Cruise
missiles, which saw these 150-kiloton warheads go missing for 36
hours, has all the elements of two Hollywood movies. One would be
a thriller about the theft from an armed weapons bunker of six nukes
for some dark and murky purpose.
Marine avoids Iraq murder charge The alleged leader of US troops who killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2005 in Haditha will not face murder charges, a US Marines spokesman said.
Sgt Frank Wuterich, 27, will stand trial for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, dereliction of duty and other charges, officials said.
The decision was made by Lt Gen Samuel Helland, who is overseeing the case.
Sgt Wuterich is the last of four marines to have the murder charge against him dropped.
Another marine, 1st Lt Andrew Grayson, was ordered to face court-martial for making false official statements and other charges.
'Insurgent gunfight'
Twenty-four Iraqi civilians, including three women, seven children and several elderly men, died at Haditha, in Anbar province, on 19 November 2005.
Iraqi witnesses say the shootings were in retaliation for a roadside bomb that killed one of the marines, Lance Cpl Miguel Terrazas, as his convoy drove through the town.
The US military at first reported that the Iraqis had been killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) that killed L/Cpl Terrazas, or in a subsequent gunfight with insurgents.
But Iraqi witnesses said the US troops shot dead five unarmed men in a car when they approached the scene of the bombing in a taxi.
They were then accused of killing 19 other civilians in three houses nearby over the next few hours.
Despite the accusations, there was no full US investigation into what happened until January 2006, when video footage emerged of the aftermath, shot by a local human rights activist.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7166381.stm
Published: 2007/12/31 19:08:27 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
Police 'Find Remains Of Missing Marine'
Updated:10:34, Saturday January 12, 2008
Police investigating the disappearance of a pregnant US marine believe they have found her burnt remains at the home of a colleague she had accused of rape.
The remains, said to be of Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, were discovered in a shallow grave in the garden of Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean.
Maria Lauterbach was pregnant
Police are now searching for the suspect who has fled the area.
Authorities in Jacksonville, North Carolina, also said there was evidence inside the house that suggested that she had been killed and are treating the case as murder.
But the suspect allegedly left a note insisting that she had taken her own life.
The note said Lauterbach had "come to his residence and cut her (own) throat," according to police.
Lauren wrote that he had nothing to do with Lauterbach's suicide, but he had buried her body in Camp Lejeune.
However, crime scene investigators have found bloodstains and signs that a cleanup had taken place inside the home, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown said.
Suspect: Cesar Laurean
Lance Cpl Lauterbach, 20, vanished three weeks ago, just days after she talked to military prosecutors about a rape case against Laurean, who remains at large.
The search is continuing for the 21-year-old from Clark County, Nevada, who had refused to meet investigators and apparently left the area without telling his lawyers where he was going.
Speaking outside the family's home in Vandalia, Ohio, Lauterbach's uncle, Pete Steiner, said: "She was raped. The Marines, unfortunately, did not protect her, and now she's dead."
US Forces Kill Iraqi Civilians By Mistake
Updated:09:29, Monday February 04, 2008
The US has killed nine Iraqi civilians - including a child - by mistake while pursuing al Qaeda fighters.
Three other civilians, including two more children, were wounded during the incident near Iskandariya, which is 25 miles south of Baghdad.
The victims were hit by an airstrike
The wounded were taken to US military hospitals for treatment.
In a statement, the US military said: "We offer our condolences to the families of those who were killed in the incident and we mourn the loss of innocent civilian life."
It said military commanders in the area met a tribal sheikh in the area after the incident.
Iraqi police said American helicopters had fired on a checkpoint manned by a neighbourhood police patrol.
They said women were among the victims.
The New York Times newspaper reported that US aircraft, responding to an attack on a military convoy, had mistakenly fired on the checkpoint.
Neighbourhood units, formed by mainly Sunni Arab tribal sheikhs, have been credited for contributing to sharp falls in violence across Iraq in the past few months.
The incident was one of the worst of its kind since last October, when as many as 11 civilians may have been killed in US air strikes.
Army Sniper Convicted of Killing Unarmed Iraqi Civilian
Sunday , February 10, 2008
BAGHDAD -
A U.S. Army sniper accused of killing an unarmed Iraqi civilian and planting evidence on his body was found guilty on all charges Sunday.
Jurors deliberated for three hours before finding Sgt. Evan Vela guilty of murder without premeditation. He had previously been charged with premeditated murder, but that charge was changed during his court-martial this week in Baghdad.
Vela was also found guilty of making a false official statement and of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.
He faces a possible sentence of life in prison. After the verdict, proceedings entered a sentencing phase Sunday afternoon.
US Marine on child rape charges, rest curfewed
Report: U.S. Military in Japan to Impose Curfew After Alleged Rape Tuesday, February 19, 2008
TOKYO - The U.S. military will slap a curfew on all troops in Okinawa, their families and civilian staff Wednesday following the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl, a news report said.
Kyodo News agency said the restriction, which would extend a midnight curfew now imposed only on enlisted Marines, would take effect early Wednesday morning. The report cited Japanese Foreign Ministry officials.
Neither the Foreign Ministry nor the U.S. Forces Japan answered their phones before business hours early Wednesday morning. U.S. military, officials, however, said last week that tighter curfews were being considered.
The arrest last week of Staff Sgt. Tyrone Luther Hadnott, 38, a Marine from Camp Courtney in Okinawa, in the alleged rape of a young girl has sparked outrage in Japan, which hosts some 50,000 U.S. troops under a security treaty.
Hadnott admitted to investigators that he forced the girl down and kissed her, but said he did not rape her, police said.
The tensions have been compounded in recent days by allegations of additional less serious crimes by American troops. Japanese leaders have deplored the behavior and accused the U.S. military of lax discipline.
Kyodo reported that the curfew would affect all U.S. military personnel on the island starting at 2230 GMT Tuesday. The report did not say during what hours the curfew would limit troops to their bases or how long it would last.
On Tuesday, U.S. Forces Japan, which launched a review of anti-sexual assault guidelines following Hadnott's arrest, said it had designated Friday as a "day of reflection" to urge troops to adhere to ideals of professionalism.
"USFJ has generated recommendations and reached a mutual agreement that all USFJ components will take additional actions to further reinforce and encourage the already high standards of professionalism among US Forces serving in Japan," the military said in a statement without elaborating. There was no mention of a curfew.
Okinawa is considered a linchpin in U.S. military posture in Asia, and Washington is eager to quell rising sentiment against American troops. U.S. Ambassador Thomas Schieffer traveled to Okinawa last week to express his sadness over the alleged rape.
The rape case has prompted comparisons to the 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by three U.S. servicemen. The attack triggered massive protests against the American military, and the three men were convicted and sentenced to prison.
War Veteran Charged With Baby Rape
Updated:12:59, Wednesday February 20, 2008
A former US Army paratrooper who served two tours of duty in Iraq has been accused of raping and critically injuring a three-month-old girl.
Man served in Iraq on two tours
Kirk Coleman is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree child abuse.
If found guilty he could be jailed for life.
Authorities say 28-year-old Coleman attacked the baby on September 14 in Jackson County's Blackman Township, about 65 miles west of Detroit.
The girl sustained brain damage and 17 broken bones and is undergoing therapy.
District Judge R Darryl Mazur ruled on Tuesday that there was enough evidence to warrant a trial.
Coleman allegedly told investigators he blacked out after drinking heavily and taking pain killers and awoke to find the injured baby in her crib.
Judge Accept Second Soldier's Guilty Plea to Raping, Killing Iraqi Teen Girl
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -
A military judge on Wednesday approved a second U.S. soldier's guilty plea to the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slaying of her family.
Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, 24, entered the plea Tuesday to four murders, rape and conspiracy to rape. With Col. Stephen R. Henley's approval, Cortez will avoid the death penalty.
At a hearing Wednesday, Cortez recounted events on the day of the attack, saying he held the girl down and acted as a lookout while others took turns attacking her.
Click here for FOXNews.com's Crime Center
In the plea agreement read in court Tuesday, Cortez said he conspired with three other soldiers - Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, Spc. James P. Barker and Steven D. Green, who has been discharged - to rape 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi.
According to the plea deal, Cortez, Spielman and Barker illegally went into the home of the girl's family in Mahmoudiya, and Cortez held her while Barker raped her. While Cortez raped her, Green shot and killed the girl's parents and younger sister, the agreement said.
Cortez then acted as a lookout while Green raped the girl, and Green shot her, the document said. Cortez helped burn the girl's body and the home, then burned his clothes.
Spielman threw the AK-47 used to kill the family in a canal, the deal said. Cortez also admitted drinking whiskey before going to the home, which broke the Army's rules against drinking alcohol.
Two other soldiers await courts-martial. All the suspected participants are or were members of the 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.
The March 2006 killing of the family was originally reported to be the work of insurgents. Later, soldiers told their superiors of their suspicion that U.S. soldiers were involved. The deaths are considered among the worst in a series of alleged atrocities by U.S. military personnel in Iraq.
Barker, 24, pleaded guilty in November to rape and murder and was sentenced to 90 years in military prison. Spielman, 22, and Bryan L. Howard, 23, await courts-martial. Howard, who is confined to the post, was in the courtroom Tuesday observing Cortez's case.
Green is charged in federal court in Kentucky, accused of being the ringleader. He is being tried as a civilian because he was discharged from the Army before his superiors were aware of his suspected involvement.
yeah but ... this is NORMAL US military procedure , Mike was asking for something that would be mass murder from an *american* point of view ... thats kinda hard to achieve ..
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