Killing Iraqi Detainees?

<p>This looks ugly. On Friday, the U.S. Army quietly <a href="http://www.army.mil/-newsreleases/2008/01/25/7131-army-investigating-battlefield-detainee-deaths/">opened</a> an investigation into soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division related to the deaths of Iraqi detainees. Only the dead detainees &quot;were not persons detained in a detention facility,&quot; according to preliminary Army findings. That suggests that soldiers killed Iraqis who were already restrained, on or near the battlefield.</p>

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According to Army spokesman Paul Boyce, the Army doesn’t yet know how many deaths are under investigation, or where they occurred. Apparently the 2nd BCT was &quot;in several places&quot; in Iraq. It’s also unclear when exactly the deaths occurred — the Army release only says 2007 — or under what circumstances. But Boyce did confirm that at the time of the death, the Iraqis were &quot;persons under custody&quot; — PUCs, in military parlance. The BCT is currently in Schweinfurt, Germany, where witness interviews began last week. Boyce would only say that the investigation is looking at &quot;elements&quot; of the BCT: it’s too soon to tell if a particular company is under special review. Asked if the investigation had a timetable, Boyce would only say,&nbsp; &quot;As long as it takes to do a thorough investigation.&quot;</p>

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More details as they emerge.</p>