US soldier charged with killing wounded Iraqi

1.00pm

WASHINGTON - The US Army is bringing murder charges against a soldier who fatally shot at close range an Iraqi man who already was badly wounded in a vehicle after a high-speed chase in Iraq, officials said on Wednesday.

"Charges have been preferred," said Lieutenant Colonel Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon, but she did not specify the charges or name the 1st Armoured Division soldier.

Another Army official said the soldier is being charged with murder after the Army Criminal Investigation Division looked into the May 21 shooting near Kufa in southern Iraq.

The incident took place after US forces engaged in a high-speed chase after coming across a motorcade in which the Iraqi was driving one of the vehicles, according to a statement issued by US Central Command on June 4.

The man's vehicle was hit by gunfire and he was seriously wounded, while a passenger in the vehicle was less seriously wounded, according to that statement. The US soldier then approached the car and shot the wounded drive to death at close range, according to the statement.

At the time, defence officials said the investigation centred on "a potential violation of US rules of engagement." They said the soldier may have shot the Iraqi to end the wounded man's suffering, but one official added that soldiers "don't get to make those kinds of decisions."

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq