discharged soldier has been charged in the Mahmudiyah case; more on the murdered girl

[thisficklemob]

Ex-Soldier Arrested in Rape, Murder of Iraqi Girl, Others

The Washington Post's veteran Baghdad correspondent Ellen Knickmeyer revealed earlier Monday that the woman allegedly raped, killed and then burned by U.S. troops in Iraq in March was only 15 years old, and her name was Abeer Qasim Hamza

Comments

[ginmar]

The whole unit needs to go down. These guys reportedly left the base in civilian clothes, with weapons, after drinking. Only five or six guys? Not allowed anywhere in Iraq, although I can't discuss what it's supposed to be out of security concerns. These guys had been drinking---very likely hard liquor, as wine is hard to come by and not the style of a macho unit like the 101st. Such a liquid carries a strong odor, strong enough to be noted by gate guards. Nor do I believe these guys were not noticed by higher ups. The gate guards should have noticed. If they were harassing this girl for days, their other soldiers had a duty to report it.

Something is rotten here, and they need to take the whole division down. These guys were low-ranking; why were they allowed to even leave post?

[thisficklemob]

Good points, glad you made them here too. I wouldn't have thought of most of them, because as a civilian all I can see is the horror of it, not the logistical issues.

I hope the investigation does go further up the chain of command, but the way these things have gone in the past, I don't have high hopes for it. I'm just hoping those immediately involved get convicted and sentences to life at the minimum.