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In the single largest loss of life for the American military in Iraq in the past two years, five troops were killed in central Iraq, U.S. officials said.

RICHMOND, Va. - Two Navy SEALs accused in the mistreatment of an Iraqi detainee will be tried in a U.S. military court in Iraq. A military judge at Naval Station Norfolk on Monday moved the courts-martial of Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas to Camp Victory, site of the alleged abuse. The trials are set for April. Keefe and Huertas are accused of trying to cover up after a third SEAL allegedly punched an Iraqi suspected in a 2004 ambush that killed four U.S. security contractors. Prosecutors said they would not bring the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who fired on fellow troops in Iraq has been identified as Army Sgt. John Russell, and he's been charged with five counts of murder, a military spokesman said Tuesday. Russell killed five people when he fired on other troops at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, U.S. officials said. Along with five counts of murder, Russell also was charged with one count of aggravated assault, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, who briefed reporters in Baghdad. Russell is on his third tour in Iraq. He's with the 54th Engineering Battalion,...

BAGHDAD, May 29, 2008 – A contractor in Iraq charged under military law with stabbing another contractor was scheduled to be arraigned today in Baghdad. Alaa “Alex” Mohammad Ali, a contractor charged with aggravated assault, was scheduled to be arraigned today at Camp Victory here. The charge against Ali stems from the Feb. 23 alleged stabbing of another contractor at a combat outpost near Hit. This is the first time a civilian will be tried by court-martial under a 2006 amendment to the Uniform Code of Military Justice contained in the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, U.S. military officials said....

BAGHDAD — A juvenile detainee education facility opened at Camp Victory, Iraq, Tuesday. Dar Al-Hikmah, or “The Wisdom House,” is designed to give juvenile detainees an education, which would benefit their eventual release and reintegration into society. “Al-Qaeda and other extremists are using juveniles against us,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Rob Glenn, the Dar Al-Hikmah education program manager. “As a consequence, we’re detaining many juveniles.” “In order to prevent another generation of insurgents and those who would do harm (against) the future of Iraq or Coalition forces, we’re educating them,” he added. Dar Al-Hikmah, or “The Wisdom House,” provides...

Al Franken couldn't resist spouting anti-war rhetoric during a scheduled USO tour at Camp Victory, Iraq.

On Aug. 6, Sgt. Paul Cortez will face the first steps in the military trial process. Cortez will undergo an Article 32 hearing in Iraq for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the killing of her family while serving in Mahmudiya.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - On a day their grandchildren will surely hear about, 66 soldiers from 30 countries became US citizens in a sumptuous palace built by Saddam Hussein at Baghdad's airport. "You are truly the best that America has to offer," Lieutenant General John Vines told Sergeant Ambar Penelope Gonzalez from the Dominican Republic, Specialist Collins Umoh from Nigeria and their fellow servicemen and women. They were given a certificate, a US flag that had flown over the marble Al-Faw palace, at Camp Victory west of Baghdad, and two standing ovations by senior US officers and enlisted personnel. "This is...

Subject: Commander 18th MP Brigade Observations From a 12-Month Tour A great after action report by the Commander, 18th MP Brigade in Iraq. Camp Victory, Iraq 4 November 2005 It is my last night in Iraq. Tomorrow night I will begin the long journey home as we depart BIAP and fly to Kuwait and then fly on to our homes in Germany at 0300 the next day. Cindy has forwarded me a lot of your discussions of strategy in Iraq, discussions about Nate Sassman, the media and questions about the way ahead. I just wanted to share with you some...

The Alaskan Army National Guard troops, who rarely see a day above 90 degrees in their home state, arrived in Iraq in January, when the temperatures were cooler. CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, Aug. 19, 2005 — Infantry soldiers from the Alaskan Army National Guard have a defined mission, which is providing force protection in the Baghdad area, but their mission involves much more than patrols and Baghdad community oversight. "Our main mission is force protection … but our guys like working with the local people too." U.S. Army Capt. Wayne Mitchell During their days patrolling the streets or waiting to be...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, July 25, 2005 – One hundred forty-three U.S. servicemembers from 42 different countries held up their right hands and became U.S. citizens today in the Al-Faw Palace rotunda here. The Army and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services led the ceremony. The Oath of Citizenship of the United States of America includes the words "... that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States of America when required by law." But Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, Multinational Corps Iraq commander, noted the new citizens had already made their decision about serving the...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - A total of 147 foreign-born US military personnel serving in Iraq gathered inside a former Saddam Hussein palace to be granted US citizenship. In a mass ceremony the soldiers, sailors, and airmen, along with one marine and a navy medic, simultaneously raised their right hands and swore to "support and defend the constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic." US soldiers listen on during a swearing-in ceremony for citizenship, at Camp Victory in Baghdad. One hundred and forty seven foreign-born US military personnel serving in Iraq gathered inside one...

Major E. writes from Baghdad: The 4th of July was quiet here, and Camp Victory enjoyed steak and lobster--for lunch and dinner, topped off by Baskin-Robbins ice cream. Except for the troops out on offensive operations, many people got a bit of a break. The highlight of my day was the noon prayer service, titled "General Washington in Prayer" (see attached file for photo of program cover). It was thirty-five minutes of patriotic encouragement where chaplains led troops and civilians in separate prayers for the people, leaders, and service members of the United States of America. We also sang the...

  To begin 4th of July weekend, U.S. soldiers spend the afternoon around a swimming pool outside a former Saddam Hussein palace, which is now part of the U.S. military base Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 3, 2005. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) AP - Jul 03 10:56 AM To begin the 4th of July weekend, U.S. soldiers spend the afternoon around a swimming pool outside a former Saddam Hussein palace which is now part of the U.S. military base Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 3, 2005. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) AP - Jul 03 10:49 AMTo begin 4th of July weekend, U.S....

ROME, March 4 -- U.S. troops fired on a vehicle carrying an Italian journalist to freedom after a month in captivity Friday, wounding her and at least one other person and killing an Italian intelligence agent who had helped to arrange her release. [...] In Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement that the car was fired upon shortly before 9 p.m. local time as it was "approaching a coalition checkpoint in western Baghdad at a high rate of speed." The statement said that "the people at the checkpoint attempted to warn the driver to stop by using hand...

U.S. troops, holding a Christmas party on Wednesday, celebrated with music, a Christmas tree and even a visit from Santa to their base at Baghdad International Airport. Soldiers played jazzy Christmas tunes on a piano and a clarinet. Those who attended said that even though they were far from home, they were celebrating the holiday with their Iraqi friends. "I'm with my soldiers; I'm with the people of Baghdad, and right now that's my family," said Brigadier Gen. Jeffery Hammond, of the 1st Cavalry Division. "So I'm very happy." The U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division is based at Camp Victory,...

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - Looking at row after row of white prefabs and desert-colored military vehicles on the northern edge of Baghdad International Airport, one can't help but feel a sense of permanence at the U.S. military's new home in Iraq (news - web sites). The troops who fought their way into Baghdad last year slept in bombed out palaces, or on the streets next to their armored vehicles. Their thousands of replacements from the 1st Cavalry Division are moving into air-conditioned quarters, some larger than what they had back home. "We're living large," said Maj. Jeffery Collins a newcomer...

(Media roundtable at Camp Victory, Iraq. Participating were Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld; Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority; Ambassador David Richmond, special envoy for Iraq of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander, Coalition Ground Forces.) Rumsfeld: Ambassador Bremer and I just returned from a trip north and as is always the case, visiting the young men and women of the armed forces is a thrilling experience. They are so dedicated and so courageous and doing such a wonderful job for the Iraqi people that...

Friday, September 5, 2003 Secretary Rumsfeld Press Briefing from Camp Victory, Baghdad Rumsfeld: I had a good visit with Jerry Bremer, and then went over and visited with General Sanchez, and then we visited the people around the building we've known over the years who are helping out. And then we had a dinner with the British ambassador and the senior team that Jerry Bremer and General Sanchez have. It ran about an hour and 20 minutes longer than it was supposed to, but it was excellent. We were able to talk the broad scope of what's taking place in...

CAMP VICTORY, Kuwait - Retired Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey of "Full Metal Jacket" fame and host of The History Channel's "Mail Call," traveled to Kuwait over the Memorial Day holiday weekend to visit with Antelope Valley troops assigned to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The TV and film star and former real-life Marine Corps drill instructor made his way toward Camp Victory near the Iraqi border with Kuwait for a Memorial Day visit. "These National Guard troops are my neighbors and a lot of them used to be Marines, and once a Marine, always a Marine," Ermey said during an earlier...