Army Investigating Allegations That US Troops Killed Iraqi Detainees

U.S. Army officials are investigating allegations that American soldiers killed several detainees after they were captured on a battlefield in southwest Baghdad last year, officials said Tuesday.

Military officials said the incident under review took place about six months ago in the Rasheed district and involved soldiers with the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division. The brigade, which is based in Germany, was deployed to Iraq from September 2006 to November 2007.

The detainees allegedly were killed at the point of capture and never taken to a U.S. or Iraqi base for questioning, said Paul Boyce, a U.S. Army spokesman. The military did not reveal how many soldiers may have been involved, how many detainees may have died or who made the allegations. Frequently, such allegations surface months after an incident, when soldiers come forward or talk among themselves.

Soldiers from at least one company of the 2nd Brigade were questioned by investigators last week in Germany. The inquiry is being led by the Army's Criminal Investigation Command.

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