US News
Former soldier charged with murder of Iraqi family, rape of girl
By DPA
Jul 3, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Washington - US federal authorities have charged a former US soldier with murdering four members of an Iraq family and raping one of the victims.

Steven Green, 21, appeared in a court in Asheville, North Carolina, on Monday on the charges that include the rape of a 15- year-old girl before taking her life and killing her family, Bloomberg news reported.

Federal prosecutors allege Green went to the family\'s house with three other soldiers on March 12 to rape the girl.

Green has since been discharged for the US military the crime became known for \'personality disorders.\' Green could face the death penalty for murder and life in prison for rape, Bloomberg said.

The alleged killings took place in the family\'s home in Mahmudiyah, which lies south of Baghdad. The US military announced an investigation on Friday.

The murder of hte family is the latest probe into allegations of US soldiers killing civilians.

The Pentagon is conducting an investigation into members of the US Marine Corps in connection to the slaughter of 24 Iraqi civilians, including women in children, in November in Haditha.

The US military last week charged seven US Marines and a Navy corpsman with the murder of a 54-year-old Iraqi man in the town of Hamdaniya.

The eight soldiers also face charges of kidnapping, conspiracy, larceny and false statement, said Colonel Stewart Navarre at Camp Pendleton, California.

Another four US soldiers have been charged with the murder of three Iraqi detainees who were shot during an operation in southern Salah ad Din Province on May 9.