Iraqi rape and murder case puts Washington on the spot

WASHINGTON – The rape and murder charges faced by a recently discharged US soldier have placed Washington in a difficult position, after the multiple charges of abuse already levelled against US troops deployed in Iraq.

The Justice Department said Steven Green, 21, a former private with the US Army’s 101st Airborne Division, could face the death penalty if convicted of the latest alleged atrocities tainting the image of US soldiers in Iraq. Green is charged with entering a house near Mahmudiyah where he allegedly raped and killed a woman and killed three of her relatives – another woman, a man and a child.”We are going to get to the bottom of these allegations.Anything that comes to light in that regard, we investigate,” General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS television.The arrest and charges filed against Green led the news in the United States on Tuesday, Independence Day, a national holiday that underscores the importance of justice and democracy as enshrined in the US constitution.President George W.Bush celebrated the Fourth of July at Fort Bragg, a military base in North Carolina, where he praised US soldiers who have served or continue to serve in Iraq.In an unusual ocurrence, he mentioned the exact number of US troops killed in Iraq, saying that he was “not going to allow the sacrifice of 2 527 troops who have died in Iraq to be in vain by pulling out before the job is done.”Green’s rape and murder charges were not the first case of abuse to shake the US military.Americans remember photographs of prisoner abuse at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison.The military has just wrapped up an investigation into a suspected massacre by US marines of civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last November.The conclusions of the probe have not yet been made public.Pace reminded the CBS audience that 99,9 per cent of American fighting men and women were serving with honour and dignity.”It is unacceptable that anybody would do anything like these folks are accused of,” he said.”But if they have, they will be dealt with, and the vast majority of American servicemen and women should be proud of how they’re serving this nation.”Green is subject to civilian prosecution under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows crimes committed abroad by US soldiers to be prosecuted as if they had been committed on US soil.If convicted, he could face execution for the murders or up to life in prison for the rape.He could also be sentenced to pay a fine of 250 000 dollars.However, some have already called for his trial to be held in Iraq where the crimes were committed.- Nampa-AFPGreen is charged with entering a house near Mahmudiyah where he allegedly raped and killed a woman and killed three of her relatives – another woman, a man and a child.”We are going to get to the bottom of these allegations.Anything that comes to light in that regard, we investigate,” General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS television.The arrest and charges filed against Green led the news in the United States on Tuesday, Independence Day, a national holiday that underscores the importance of justice and democracy as enshrined in the US constitution.President George W.Bush celebrated the Fourth of July at Fort Bragg, a military base in North Carolina, where he praised US soldiers who have served or continue to serve in Iraq.In an unusual ocurrence, he mentioned the exact number of US troops killed in Iraq, saying that he was “not going to allow the sacrifice of 2 527 troops who have died in Iraq to be in vain by pulling out before the job is done.”Green’s rape and murder charges were not the first case of abuse to shake the US military.Americans remember photographs of prisoner abuse at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison.The military has just wrapped up an investigation into a suspected massacre by US marines of civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last November.The conclusions of the probe have not yet been made public.Pace reminded the CBS audience that 99,9 per cent of American fighting men and women were serving with honour and dignity.”It is unacceptable that anybody would do anything like these folks are accused of,” he said.”But if they have, they will be dealt with, and the vast majority of American servicemen and women should be proud of how they’re serving this nation.”Green is subject to civilian prosecution under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which allows crimes committed abroad by US soldiers to be prosecuted as if they had been committed on US soil.If convicted, he could face execution for the murders or up to life in prison for the rape.He could also be sentenced to pay a fine of 250 000 dollars.However, some have already called for his trial to be held in Iraq where the crimes were committed.- Nampa-AFP