Four US soldiers charged in Iraq prisoner drowning

The US Army has charged four soldiers, three of them with manslaughter, over the drowning of an Iraqi prisoner while a new report criticised US military detention policies, officials said yesterday.

Newspaper reports in Colorado, where the soldiers were based, said they were accused of forcing two Iraqis to jump off a bridge in the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, on January 3. The men had been picked up for violating a curfew.

One of the Iraqis swam to the river bank but the other drowned, according to the reports. The case followed revelations about ill-treatment of military prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval base in Cuba, which have tarnished the US forces reputation internationally.

In a report on one of several investigations after the disclosure of abuse at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison a senior general found major problems with US detainee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And lawyers for foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo demanded the Pentagon allow access to their clients after a ruling by the US Supreme Court on Monday that the detainees could challenge their confinement in US courts.

A statement issued by Ft. Hood, Texas said the army had brought charges against four soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division involved in the Samarra incident.

First Lt Jack Saville and Sgt 1st Class Tracy Perkins were charged on June 7 with manslaughter, assault, conspiracy, making false statements and obstruction of justice, the statement said.

Two others were charged on Monday. Sgt Reggie Martinez was charged with manslaughter and making a false official statement, and Spec. Terry Bowman was charged with assault and making a false official statement. All four will face the military version of a grand jury proceeding before a decision is made on courts-martial.