US News
Four US soldiers accused of conspiracy in Iraq rape case
By DPA
Jul 9, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Baghdad - Three US soldiers in Iraq have been accused of rape and murder and a fourth soldier of failure to report the offences, a statement released by the military on Sunday.

Charges have been preferred against the four soldiers who have been accused of conspiring with former soldier Steven D. Green in rape and murder case that has stirred Iraqi ire and international condemnation.

\'The preferral of court-marital charges is merely an accusation. Those accused are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,\' the statement said.

On Saturday, the four soldiers were charged in connection with their alleged participation in the rape and murder of a young Iraqi woman and three members of her family perpetrated by Green.

An investigation will be the next step in the legal procedures under Article 32 of the US army\'s Uniform Code of Military Justice, a step similar to grand jury hearings.

Meanwhile, seven insurgents were captured by Iraqi forces during a raid on Sunday in Baghdad\'s Kadhimiyah district, according to a separate US military statement.

Nine insurgents were killed and two others wounded during the operation that is part of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki\'s Together Forward Baghdad security plan, the statement added.