U.S. Army Charges Six Soldiers for Cruelty in Iraq

Saturday, March 20, 2004
(12:57 PM RT)
Reuters

It is not the first case of prisoner abuse in Iraq. On January 5, the U.S. army said three soldiers had been discharged for abusing Iraqi prisoners of war at another detention camp. The three were found guilty of beating, kicking and harassing prisoners at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq. The army had said the three faced up to 25 years in jail if convicted of all charges. The soldiers said they acted in self-defense.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Reuters
The U.S. military charged six soldiers on Saturday with offenses including cruelty, mistreatment and assault following a criminal investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse at a jail in Iraq.

Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, the deputy director of operations for the U.S. military in Iraq, said the soldiers, all from a military police battalion, had been suspended from duty pending further investigation ahead of any trial.

"As a result of the criminal investigation, six military personnel have been charged with criminal offences including conspiracy, dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another," he told reporters.

Kimmitt did not disclose the soldiers' names or ranks.

"The coalition takes all reports of detainee abuse seriously and all allegations of mistreatment are investigated. We are committed to treating all persons under coalition control with dignity, respect and humanity," he said.

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Dan