Posted on 08/07/2006 6:08:31 AM PDT by twinself
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. military court heard graphic testimony on Monday on how U.S. soldiers took turns to hold down and rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdered her and her family.
At the hearing into whether four U.S. soldiers should be court-martialled, a special agent described what took place in Mahmudiya based on an interview he conducted with Specialist James Barker, one of the accused.
The case, the fifth involving serious crimes being investigated by the U.S. military in Iraq, has outraged Iraqis and led Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to call for a review of foreign troops' immunity from prosecution under Iraqi law.
Special Agent Benjamin Bierce recalled how Barker described to him how he went into the living room of a house and held the hands of the teenage girl while Sergeant Paul Cortez either raped her or attempted to rape her.
Barker then switched positions with Cortez and attempted to rape the girl but said he was not sure if he had done so, Bierce told the hearing.
He also said he was also told shots were heard from the bedroom and shortly afterwards Private Steven Green emerged from the room, put down his AK-47 assault rifle then raped the girl while Cortez held her down.
Bierce said Barker told him that Green then picked up the weapon and shot her once, paused, and then shot her several more times.
Military prosecutors are expected to set out their case against Private First Class Jesse Spielman, Barker, Cortez and Private First Class Bryan Howard, who face charges of rape and murder among others.
If court-martialled and found guilty, they could face the death penalty.
Green faces the same charges in a U.S. federal court in Kentucky, home of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, his former unit. Green, who has pleaded not guilty, was discharged from the army for a "personality disorder".
A fifth soldier, Sergeant Anthony Yribe, is charged with dereliction of duty and making a false statement and will also appear at the hearing at a U.S. base next to Baghdad airport.
Of course. Iran also has its own prostitutes, junkies and AIDS plague.
Exactly. Give fools power and they will think they are equal to gods. Those who do not act like humans do not deserve to be treated as such. And if they really did what they are charged with they should set an example for others. That's a bitter lesson. We (as there are troops from my country, too) shouldn't let a bad apple to spoil the barrel.
Are we to believe they kept civilian clothes and liquor at their checkpoint? I don't believe that a checkpoint is where they live. Furthermore, why would they want civilian clothes with them? It's not as if they were going to change clothes and go to a club.
One must wonder where the officer or NCO in charge was while these troops were keeping liquor and civies at their checkpoint.
You will believe what you want to believe. Based on little information that we all have I can't tell whether it's truth or an illusion.
AK-47s are so common over there, it's would be more surprising to me if they DIDN'T have a few around.....
Investigator: Drinking preceded killings
By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. soldiers accused of raping and murdering a 14-year-old Iraqi girl drank alcohol and hit golf balls before the attack, an investigator said Monday at a U.S. military hearing to determine whether they should stand trial.
Criminal investigator Benjamin Bierce said he interviewed one of the accused, Spc. James P. Barker, on June 30, and recorded graphic and brutal details of the alleged assault on March 12.
Bierce was testifying on the second day of the hearing to determine whether five U.S. soldiers must stand trial in the rape-slaying of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the killing of her father, Qassim Hamza; her mother, Fikhriya Taha; and her 5-year-old sister, Hadeel Qassim Hamza, in the town of Mahmoudiya, one of the most violent areas in Iraq.
The rape and murders are among the worst in a series of cases of alleged misconduct by U.S. service members that have tarnished the American military.
Barker's sworn and signed statement was submitted as evidence during the hearing and Bierce revealed portions during his testimony.
Barker is accused along with Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman, Pfc. Bryan L. Howard of rape and murder. Another soldier, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, is accused of failing to report the attack but is not alleged to have been a direct participant.
Former Pfc. Steven D. Green was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" after the incident and was arrested in North Carolina in June on rape and murder charges. He has pleaded not guilty in federal court and is being held without bond.
At Monday's hearing, Pfc. Justin Watt testified that Howard told him before the incident that Green, Cortez and Barker had planned to rape a girl, and Howard was to be the lookout.
"There's nothing I've read that says what to do if your buddies have raped and murdered a family," Watt said.
Another investigator, Michael Hood, testified that he interviewed Spielman, who denied shooting or having sex with anyone in the house. Spielman passed a lie detector test, Hood said.
According to Barker's sworn statement cited by Bierce, Green not only raped the girl but also shot her and her family members after telling his comrades repeatedly that he wanted to kill some Iraqis.
Bierce testified that on the day of the attack, Barker, Cortez, Spielman and Green had been playing cards and drinking Iraqi whiskey mixed with an energy drink. Afterward, they practiced hitting golf balls, Bierce quoted Barker as saying in his statement.
Bierce said Barker's statement made it clear that Green was very persistent about killing some Iraqis and kept bringing up the idea. At some point, they decided to go to the house of Abeer, whom they had seen passing by their checkpoint earlier.
According to Bierce, Barker told him that when they arrived at the house, Abeer and her father were outside. Spielman grabbed Abeer while Green seized her father and took them into the house, Bierce said, quoting Barker. Cortez and Barker also went in.
Green took the father, mother and the younger sister into the bedroom and closed the door, while Abeer remained in the living room with the others.
Barker wrote that Cortez pushed Abeer to the floor, lifted her dress and tore off her underwear while she struggled, Bierce said. Cortez appeared to rape her, according to Barker's statement, Bierce said.
Barker then tried to rape the girl, Bierce said. Suddenly, the group heard gunshots. According to Barker's statement, which was read by Bierce, Green came out of the bedroom, holding an AK-47 rifle, and declared: "They're all dead. I just killed them."
Green put the gun down, then raped Abeer while Cortez held her down; Barker claims Green picked up the AK-47 and shot her once, paused, then shot her several more times, Bierce said.
Barker confirmed he got a kerosene lamp and poured the fuel on the girl's body, Bierce said. The body was set on fire, but Barker does not say who did it. Barker's statement also does not say if Howard or Spielman participated in the rape.
Barker's statement says he grilled chicken wings when they got back to their checkpoint, Bierce testified. A few hours later, Barker wrote, Iraqi soldiers came to report they had found a family murdered.
Since the case became public last month, U.S. officials have said they were concerned it could strain relations with Iraq's new government if Iraqis perceive that the soldiers receive lenient treatment.
The Americans have offered assurances that the case will be pursued vigorously and that the soldiers will be punished if convicted.
The case has already increased demands for changes in an agreement that exempts U.S. soldiers from prosecution in Iraqi courts. And Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has demanded an independent investigation into the case.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060807/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_rape_slaying
Does combat stress cause one to hit golf balls before stringing along with a psycho to "kill Iraqis"?
Thanks such detailed info TexKat! My grandfather fought together with your fellow Texans from 36th Infantry Division "A Lone Star" in Monte Cassino battle.
Apparently he did this to disguise the murder and make it look like the insurgents did this.
US soldier described rape and murders, Iraq hearing told
BAGHDAD AFP 07/08/2006 19:10
A US military investigator has said that a soldier had confessed to him that he and a comrade had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old Iraqi girl before another suspect raped her and killed her family.
Testifying at a hearing that will decide whether to charge five servicemen with rape and murder, Special Agent Benjamin Bierce said 23-year-old Specialist James Barker had given a detailed account of the alleged rape and massacre.
According to Barker's sworn written statement, which was given to the probe panel, on March 12 soldiers had been drinking Iraqi whisky mixed with an energy drink and practising golf swings at a checkpoint south of Baghdad.
One of the men, 20-year-old Specialist Steven Green, said that he "wanted to go to a house and kill some Iraqis", the statement said on Monday.
Four of the accused -- Barker, Sergeant Paul Cortez, Private Bryan Howard, Private Jesse Spielman -- agreed with Green's plan, changed into black silk underwear and masks and set off for the family's nearby home, it said.
A fifth soldier, 22-year-old Anthony Yribe, could face charges for failing to report what he later found out about the killings. He refused to testify Monday on the grounds that he could incriminate himself.
Green has been discharged from the army because of a "personality disorder" and has been charged separately with rape and murder in a civilian court. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial is pending.
The other accused could face penalties up to and including death penalty if this week's Article 32 military hearing at a US base at Baghdad airport decides that they should face court martial.
According to Bierce's account of Barker's confession, Howard remained outside the selected Iraqi home with a radio to act as lookout, while the others herded a family of four inside.
Barker wrote that Cortez pushed the 14-year-old to the floor. He threw her dress up over her waist and tore her underwear away. The girl tried to put her knees together and struggled with the soldiers, he wrote.
Cortez and Barker attempted to rape the girl in turn. Barker "said in his statement he was having problems getting an erection and that he wasn't sure if he penetrated her", Bierce told the tribunal.
Special Agent Gary Griesmyer, who also testified Monday, said he questioned Cortez who confirmed how they changed their clothing and covered their faces to look like insurgents.
Griesmyer said Cortez confirmed that he held the girl down as Barker raped her. The weeping child pleaded to be set free, but Barker told her to "shut up" after the rape, Cortez said, according to Griesmyer.
Meanwhile, Green took the girl's parents and five-year-old sister into another room. Shots rang out and he came back, saying "They're all dead. I just killed them," the hearing heard.
Green took his turn to rape the girl, then shot her dead with a captured AK-47 assault rifle. Kerosene was poured over the girl and someone -- it was not clear who -- set her alight, Bierce said, citing Barker's testimony.
Barker's account did not implicate Howard or Spielman in the rapes or the murder, but he testified that they had taken part in the break-in and had cooperated in the burning of the house and of their clothes.
Another witness Special Agent Michael Hood, trained in administering polygraphy tests, confirmed that Spielman had passed the tests when asked whether he participated in the gruesome massacre.
After the murders, the troops returned to their checkpoint 200 metres away and "grilled chicken wings", the statement said.
Another witness, Private Justin Watt, described how he had pieced together what had happened from conversations with the accused in his unit, the 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.
"I feared for my safety at the TCP (traffic control point)," Watt told the hearing, describing his fear of retribution within his unit.
"It's like this, I find out that guys in my squad, guys I trusted with my life, are allegedly responsible for one of the most brutal rapes slash murders I've ever seen. And everyone has a weapon and grenades," he said.
"There's nothing I've read that says what to do if your buddies have raped and murdered a family," he added.
Under defence cross-examination, Watt also told of how the unit had become demoralised and stressed after several fatal attacks on their exposed position by Iraqi insurgents.
"I was going to get a memorial tattoo of all the guys (who were killed), but there's not enough room on my arm," Watt said.
The allegations came to light when stress counsellors talked to the squad after an incident in which two soldiers were abducted at a checkpoint south of Baghdad and later brutally murdered.
The hearings continue.
http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=24833
:) Bump!
I can't say Yahoo and the A.P. are the finest sources to use but very little about the article makes sense.
(1). Chicken wings were grilled at a checkpoint.
(2). Local whiskey was mixed with energy drinks and drank on duty?
(3). Are energy drinks available to our troops since they contain hight level of caffeine which draws water out of the body.
(4). Who manned the checkpost while the accused troopers were killing and raping?
But whether traveling through town or seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Iraqi street hawkers often await trying to sell a plethora of items—from old bayonets to bootleg liquor.
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:NFdaqaoUPtsJ:www.defendamerica.mil/articles/oct2003/a100803c.html+alcohol+liquor+iraq+kellogg+brown+root&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=12
Drink Alcohol. Lots of it. Yes, it IS a Muslim country but liquor and beer have always been available under Saddam---just not something they openly sold. However, here in the Green Zone, there are open air bars and liquor stores. Many companies also set up small cabanas on their respective compounds so their employees won't have to go out driving around every time they want to get hammered, (unlike the Triple Canopy guys that recently totaled a $250,000 up-armored Suburban by drunkenly slamming it into a statue monument traffic circle down the road).
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:3H1fPLAe1KUJ:www.everything2.com/index.pl%3Fnode_id%3D1767132+alcohol+liquor+iraq+kellogg+brown+root&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=23
Yribe. That's why he is the only one of the five with no rape or murder charges.
Yes, they have tons of red bull for the troops from the states, and the local vendors also have lots of them for sale.
None of it makes sense. But things that don't make sense to people such as you and I happen 24/7.
Keep living and keep shaking your head in bewilderment. I do. Nothing ceases to amaze me.
As long as one has the money, one can buy almost anything, even in Iraq.
wired in Iraq
http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:LgiZNIWzG8gJ:www.bandddesigns.com/blogger/arch/000064.html+energy+drinks+iraq&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10
Cool, thanks for the info and thank you for your service!
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