Elite soldiers guilty of abuse

2005-12-20 12:12

Baghdad - Five US soldiers from an elite unit were sentenced to between one and six months detention - and in two cases discharged from the army - over the abuse of Iraqi detainees, the military announced.

Four soldiers were referred to special courts-martial and the fifth to the milder summary court-martial on charges stemming from an incident that took place on September 7 at an undisclosed location in Iraq.

The verdicts were handed down earlier this month.

"The Multinational Force-Iraq takes all allegations of abuse very seriously. Each allegation is thoroughly investigated and appropriate actions are taken based on the results," the military said.

All five soldiers belong to the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, "the premier light-infantry unit of the United States Army", according to the army website, and pleaded guilty to the charges.

The five soldiers were convicted of dereliction of duty, or failing to obey orders. Four were convicted of assault and battery, and two of the more serious charge of maltreatment.

Sentences ranged from a month to six months of detention, reduction in rank and, in the case of the two convicted of maltreatment, a bad conduct discharge from the army.

Abuse has become a political hot potato in Iraq, first with revelations of US soldiers abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib and the discovery of at least two secret prisons run by the interior ministry where detainees were also abused.

In addition to policing its own soldiers, the US military is now conducting inspection tours of Iraqi detention facilities.

- AFP