US soldiers probed over killing of Iraqi family
Five US army soldiers are under investigation for allegedly raping a young woman, then burning her body after killing her and three members of her family, a US military official said today.
The US command announced that Major General James Thurman, commander of coalition troops in Baghdad, had ordered a criminal investigation into the alleged killing of a family of four in Mahmoudiya south of Baghdad but gave no further details and did not say how many troops were involved.
A US official close to the investigation said at least one of the soldiers, all assigned to the 502nd Infantry Regiment, has admitted his role and been arrested.
Two soldiers from the same regiment were killed this month when they were kidnapped at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah.
At least four others have had their weapons taken away and are confined to Forward Operating Base Mahmoudiyah south of Baghdad.
The official said the killings appear to be unrelated to the kidnappings but that a soldier felt compelled to report the killings after his fellow soldiers’ bodies were found.
