U.S. soldiers charged with murder in Iraq

By Will Dunham

06/20/06 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three American soldiers were charged with premeditated murder after being accused of shooting three detainees north of Baghdad on May 9 and then threatening to kill a fellow soldier if he told the truth about the incident, the U.S. military said on Monday.

The charges were brought against Army Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard, Spc. William Hunsaker and Pfc. Corey Clagett, according to charge sheets provided by Army officials at the Pentagon. Premeditated murder charges can bring the death penalty under U.S. military law.

The three soldiers are accused of deliberately allowing three men detained during a raid on a former chemical factory to flee so they would have an excuse to shoot them, said a defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The charges were brought as the U.S. military continues to investigate other cases of alleged abuses by American troops, including the killings of 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last November.

Girouard, a noncommissioned officer, was charged with 11 counts stemming from four charges: premeditated murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and wrongfully communicating a threat. Clagett was charged with six counts and Hunsaker was charged with eight counts of the same charges.

'I WILL KILL YOU'

A day after the killings, according to the charge sheets, Girouard told Army Pfc. Bradley Mason, a fellow soldier who knew the truth about what happened, "You better not talk or I will kill you."

On May 29, while travelling with him in a vehicle from their base to meet with Army criminal investigators at another base, Girouard again threatened Mason, "You better not say anything or I swear I will kill you," the documents said.

"Staff Sergeant Girouard will not have to kill you because I will kill you if you say anything," Clagett told Mason, according to the charge sheet.

Days earlier, according to the charge sheet, Hunsaker also threatened Mason, saying: "Don't tell anyone because if I go to jail I will kill you."

The three accused soldiers were members of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the Army's elite 101st Airborne Division.

A statement released by the military in Tikrit said on the day of the incident, the unit's commander ordered an inquiry to determine the circumstances of the deaths of the detainees.

The three soldiers are in custody in Kuwait pending a hearing to determine whether they should face a court-martial.

The charges were brought on Sunday and announced on Monday. Attempted murder and conspiracy carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, and wrongfully communicating a threat could bring up to 5 years in prison, the Army said.

The military did not disclose the identities of the slain detainees and the charge sheet said they were "of apparent Middle Eastern descent whose names are unknown."

The deaths occurred on May 9 during a raid on a suspected insurgent training camp near Thar Thar Lake, southwest of Tikrit, where the military said more than 200 people were detained at a former chemical factory.

Last month, the military hailed the success of "Operation Iron Triangle" at the sprawling Muthana Chemical Complex, which closed after the fall of President Saddam Hussein.

Some 230 Americans from the 101st Airborne's 3rd Brigade Combat Team and nearly 200 Iraqi soldiers stormed the complex from helicopters, said a statement posted on a U.S. military Web site on May 18.

(Additional reporting by Kristin Roberts)

© Reuters 2006.

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