Posted on 07/10/2006 7:33:49 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An al-Qaida-linked group claims it killed three U.S. soldiers last month and mutilated two of their bodies to avenge the rape-slaying of a young Iraqi woman by troops of the same unit, an institute which monitors extremists Web sites said Tuesday.
The Mujahedeen Shura Council made the claim in a 4:39 minute video posted on the Internet which included the mutilated bodies of two of the soldiers attacked June 19 near Youssifiyah southwest of Baghdad, according to a statement by the SITE Institute.
The institute released still pictures from the video showing two of the American dead, one of whom had been decapitated.
According to the institute, the statement by the insurgent group said the video was released as "revenge for our sister who was dishonored by a soldier of the same brigade."
Two sergeants are among five American soldiers charged in the March 12 alleged rape-murder and the killing her parents and a younger sister. The U.S. military released the identities of the suspects Monday.
A previously discharged soldier had been arrested in the case last month and charged with rape and murder.
According to the SITE Institute, the statement by the insurgents said that as soon as fighters heard of the rape-slaying, "they kept their anger to themselves and didn't spread the news."
"They decided to take revenge for their sister's honor," the statement said. "With Allah's help, they captured two soldiers of the same brigade as this dirty crusader."
The Mujahedeen Shura Council is an umbrella organization of several Islamic extremist groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq. It claimed responsibility for shooting down a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Youssifiyah area in April.
U.S. investigators had said there was no evidence linking the deaths of the three soldiers last month to the alleged rape-slaying.
Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard are accused of rape and murder and several other charges as alleged participants. They could face the death penalty if convicted.
A fifth, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, is charged with failing to report the attack but is not alleged to have been a direct participant.
The five will face an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury proceeding, to determine if they should stand trial.
They are charged with conspiring with former soldier Steven D. Green, who was arrested in the case last month in North Carolina. Green has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and four counts of murder and is being held without bond.
The U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, declined to comment further on details about the attack, saying the investigation continues.
"But they obviously had enough information in the initial investigation to go ahead and charge those four soldiers all with alleged rape, rape, obstruction of justice, housebreaking, arson and the other offenses," he told reporters in Baghdad.
Spielman, of Chambersburg, Pa., is a 2002 graduate of Chambersburg Area Senior High School.
His mother, Nancy Hess, told WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Pa., on Monday: "I don't believe the charges and I'm still proud of him." She said her son always wanted to be a soldier.
According to an FBI affidavit filed in Green's case, he and at least two others targeted the young woman and her family for a week before the attack, which was not revealed until witnesses came forward in late June.
The soldiers drank alcohol, abandoned their checkpoint, changed clothes to avoid detection and headed to the victims' house, about 200 meters (yards) from a U.S. checkpoint in the "Triangle of Death," a Sunni Arab area south of Baghdad known for its violence, the affidavit said.
The affidavit estimated the rape victim was about 25. But a doctor at the Mahmoudiya hospital gave her age as 14. He refused to be identified for fear of reprisals.
Green is accused of raping the woman and killing her and the three other family members, including a girl estimated to be 5 years old. An official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that Green set fire to the rape victim's body in an apparent cover-up attempt.
Iraqi authorities identified the rape victim as Abeer Qassim Hamza. The other victims were her father, Qassim Hamza; her mother, Fikhriya Taha; and her sister, Hadeel Qassim Hamza.
The March 12 attack was among the worst in a series of cases of U.S. troops accused of killing and abusing Iraqi civilians.
U.S. officials are concerned the case will strain relations with Iraq's new government and increase calls for changes in an agreement that exempts American soldiers from prosecution in Iraqi courts.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has demanded an independent investigation into the case, which comes after a series of allegations that U.S. troops killed and mistreated Iraqi civilians.
Doesn't pass the smell test.
My tenth reply on this same subject, no, no, NO, these savages did NOT butcher the two soldiers as "revenge" for the rape and murder of the iraqi girl.
Only now, after the Main Stream Media practically handed the savages, on a silver platter, the news last week that there was a possible connection between the two, do they claim as such.
"....changed clothes to avoid detection"
Riiiiight, because American soldiers can blend so easily with the general population of Iraq, what with their Levis, T-shirts and high & tights, it's that easy.
As I continue to say, the MSM is the primary enemy of America. The terrorists know this. So does anyone who is confronted by the U.S. for any reason, such as Iran and NK.
I find this almost imposible to believe. Drinking on duty, abandoning their post, and then doing this within 200 yards of their own checkpoint that they had abandoned.
However, if it is proven that they in fact did it, then they should be executed.
I find this very hard to believe. I doubt very much that al-Qaida or would go to this trouble over a mere woman. If the report said they killed her mother and sisters for dishonoring Islam, I might buy that.
Wouldn't vote for McCain, ever. Maybe as VP under a true conservative candidate; pull in the moderate Dem. vote, if there's any left.
But McCain cannot be allowed to become president, he's Capt. RINO.
Fox just had a News Alert on this a few minutes ago.....prayers, prayers, prayers for these families..
That's nice. That's just their excuse.
They need to learn "Rule of Law" instead of "Mob Rule".
Ooops, wrong thread.
"Nevermind" - Emily Letilla :>D
This whole story is so convoluted, it's hard to believe it......but I hear two of these GI's have confessed.....
Doesn't look too good for Mr. Green. Iraqis knew of the alleged rape/murder long before it was in the news here.
If those Marines were tried and convicted for raping and murdering Americans in a typical American civilian court they would probably be sentenced to life in prison, but they would probably be out on parole within 7 to 10 years if they were well behaved. As it is, if convicted of raping and murdering Iraqis in a military trial they could get the death penalty, but they will probably spend the rest of their lives in a federal penitentiary with no hope of parole.
That disparity in punishment between civilians and military personnel doesn't sit very well with me. It seems to me that if they were willing to join the Marines of their own accord and risk their lives fighting our enemies they should at least get the same breaks that our lowlife civilian criminals get.
This whole thing sounds like an honor or reprisal killing than a murder. Young Iraqi woman prefers being treated like a human being by US military rather than dog shit by the local al qaeda wannabes.
Have you read the affidavit against Mr. Green? Apparently other soldiers involved have confessed.
I suppose it could be, I hope that is the case.....
One of the men who participated in the rape/murder confessed last week because he felt guilty after two members of their platoon were tortured and one beheaded as revenge for the rape/murder.
His confession is what set the investigation in motion.
You can pretend to yourself that the Islamists made it all up but an American GI said it first.
If you want to defend people who are subhuman scum just because they're Americans, that's your prerogative.
“First, the capture of the two soldiers was according to a solid pre-arranged plan and was not an accident.
“Second, they were captured by a large [Resistance] group that is extensively active in Iraq and whose name is not being mentioned at this time. But those who follow the activities of the Mujahideen in the al-Yusufiyah area will know that there are three large groups operating in that region and it is one of them.
“Third, secret negotiations are now underway. The Mujahideen have set a high ceiling in their demands at the beginning of the discussions, among the most important of their demands being:
The release of all female Iraqi prisoners in the prisons of the Crusaders, the [puppet Iraqi Ministry of the] Interior, and the [puppet Iraqi Ministry of [Defense].
The release of all religious scholars, shaykhs, and Imams of mosques in the prisons of the occupation and its supporters.
The hand over of the body of Abu Mus‘ab az-Zarqawi to his relatives with pressure being put on Jordan to accept that, and the proposal of alternative cities if Jordan refuses, among them Tarabulus in Lebanon.
The ceiling of demands might be raised to obtain the release of other persons.
“Fourth, if the Americans refuse to respond to the demands then the two soldiers will be displayed on the media, the demands will be declared, and a deadline will be given. Then they will be executed after America declares falsely that it does not negotiate with ‘terrorists’.
“Fifth, if agreement is reached and the demands are carried out they will be carried out in an apparently unilateral way in which it appears that no pressure is being applied to the United States, then America will declare that they have found the two soldiers, that they were hiding or escaped from their abductors.
“Sixth, the American high command in Iraq is directly aware of the details of the negotiations.
“Seventh, The American command wants guarantees that the soldiers will not be used in the media or killed after the demands have been carried out, while the Mujahideen want guarantees that the [Iraqi] prisoners who are released will not be rearrested, for this will cause the negotiations to fail.
“Eighth, the ball is now in the court of the American military command. It may accept or reject, or perhaps begin implementing the demands within a certain number of hours or days or the Mujahideen will begin carrying out the media side of their plan if agreement fails to be reached.
“Note: it has been confirmed that the publication of this information on a website will not negatively influence the negotiations and the Mujahideen brothers. It is only being published so that the Believers might rejoice and reassure their hearts at the victory God has given them.
“Your brother: Abu Hashim al-Khalidi.”
I picked up this message before there was any news about the rape/murder. As there is no discussion of the rape/murder, it was obviously not a driver in the abduction of our soldiers. Also, the local resistance group was aware of the rape/murder but thought it was probably done by Shiites. In any case, the local insurgent groups saw more benefit in claiming the rape/murder was done by Shiites to further their desire for a wider civil war. Our soldiers were butchered when the net tightened in the area and the insurgents knew they couldn't get them out of the area to a secure location to be used for propaganda and bargaining chips.
Fox and the media have it wrong.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.