Every indication is that these are normal Americans, loved in their communities, respected in their units, being promoted at a normal to above-normal pace, and very experienced in the climate of war in Iraq.
One article says: “either IED materials or small arms” were planted. I assume those papers got that information from some source. They fail to mention the source. Often the media will report in a sensationalistic way and ignore anything exculpatory in a report.
My experience says that the Army simply doesn’t allow its troops to collect AK47s or IED materials and KEEP THEM. They MUST turn them in. If found with them, it is a court-martial offense.
Where did the AK47s come from that these troops supposedly “placed around the bodies?” If they came from that day’s battle space, which is most likely, then why are the soldiers wrong to assign them to the bodies of those they thought to be insurgents. It’s not like they have the enemy weapons cards and have absolute knowledge about which weapons goes with which body.
Why would they assign them to particular bodies? Because they have a responsibility to report during an AAR (After Action Review) about the sequence and events in a battle.
I think they’re innocent.