Tearful US soldier recounts rape of Iraqi girl

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky, Feb 21 (Reuters) A US soldier under court-martial at a Kentucky military base broke down in tears today as he described how he and others planned the rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, murdered along with her family.

Sgt Paul Cortez, 24, is the second US soldier to plead guilty to raping the girl, killing her and her family in Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, in March 2006, then burning the bodies to cover up the crime.

He read from papers before him to describe how he, Spc James Barker and a since-discharged soldier, Steven Green, planned the attack.

''While we were playing cards Barker and Green started talking about having sex with an Iraqi female. Barker and Green had already known...'' Cortez said before breaking down. He bowed his head and remained silent, sniffling occasionally, for a full minute before continuing.

''Barker and Green had already known what, um, house they wanted to go to. They had been there before and knew only one male was in the house, and knew it would be an easy target,'' Cortez said.

Cortez went on to describe how the group changed their clothes so they would not be recognized as American soldiers on the way to the house.

When he began crying again, his lawyer asked the court for a recess, which was granted.

When the court-martial opened yesterday, a military judge read a guilty plea in which Cortez described how, in addition to raping the girl, he held her down and acted as a lookout so other soldiers could take their turns raping her before she was shot to death.

The girl's mother, father and six-year-old sister were killed while she was being raped, according to the plea.

Cortez could face life in prison without possibility of parole for the rape and four counts of murder. Sentencing was expected later today or tomorrow.

In all, four current and one former soldier were charged in the gang rape of Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the murders of her and her family, a crime that outraged Iraqis and ratcheted up tension in the war zone.

In the plea agreement, Cortez said he held the girl's hands while Barker raped her, then he raped her himself.

Meanwhile, the suspected ringleader, Steven Green, shot dead the girl's father, mother and six-year-old sister, according to the plea agreement. He then raped the girl while Cortez acted as a lookout and Green finally shot the girl dead, according to the agreement.

Barker pleaded guilty in November and was sentenced to 90 years in a military prison. Green was discharged from the Army for a ''personality disorder'' and is in a Kentucky prison awaiting civilian trial.

Barker and Cortez both avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty and are expected to testify against Green and others charged in the crime.

Cortez also pleaded guilty to arson and breaking into the girl's house as part of the March 12, 2006, crime, and to obstruction of justice for helping get rid of the murder weapon, an AK-47, which was thrown into a canal. In addition, he admitted to drinking whiskey prior to the attack, a violation of Army rules against alcohol in that area of Iraq.

In addition to Cortez and Barker, the other soldiers accused in the case are Pvt. Jesse Spielman and Pvt. Bryan Howard.

REUTERS AB RAI2320