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Eight US Soldiers charged with the Murder o Disabled Civilian

Eight US Soldiers charged with the Murder o Disabled Civilian

Eight US service members have been charged with the murder of an Iraqi civilian. It is alleged that they shot the disabled Iraqi man and then tried to cover it up.

In the latest in a series of murder cases that have hit the US military in Iraq, seven US marines and a Navy corpsman were charged on Wednesday with kidnapping, premeditated murder and conspiracy in connection with the death of an Iraqi man. The soldiers are awaiting trail in California, where they could face the death penalty if found guilty.

The soldiers are accused of dragging Hashim Ibrahim Awad, from his home in the town of Hamdania on 26 April, torturing him and then shooting him. After the attack, the soldiers allegedly placed a stolen weapon and a shovel next to the body to give the impression that the man was an insurgent who was trying to bury a bomb at the side of the road.

Separately, another US soldier was charged with murder on Wednesday in connection with the deaths of three Iraqi prisoners in the province of Salaheddin in May. Three other soldiers had already been charged in connection with the same incident on Monday.

These cases are separate from the alleged killing by US marines of 24 Iraqi men, women and children in Haditha last November.

Together the cases have generated considerable international criticism for the US and unfavorable publicity for the marines in particular. Earlier this month the US military announced that troops serving in Iraq would undergo 30 days of ethical training.

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