US soldier guilty of lesser charges in Iraq deaths

Chicago, Mar 17: A US soldier was found guilty of lesser charges of negligent homicide in the killing of three Iraqi detainees who were let loose and told to run before being shot, officials at Fort Campbell in Kentucky said.

Sgt Raymond Girouard, 24, of Sweetwater, Tennessee, had been charged with premeditated murder and other offenses that could have drawn a life sentence.

He was acquitted of those charges and found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide as well as obstruction of justice and other charges, which could result in a sentence of 20 or more years, although that remained to be determined, a base spokesman said yesterday.

Sentencing will take place on Monday.

Girouard was leading a squad in May last year during a raid on a suspected insurgent camp near Thar Thar lake, southwest of Tikrit, when the incident occurred.

Three other soldiers under his command who were also charged with the deaths made plea agreements and were sentenced earlier. Two received 18-year prison sentences and a third got nine months in jail.

The three had said Girouard ordered them to shoot the men.

He had said he was under orders to kill all men of military age but denied ordering the slayings.

During an August hearing in Iraq that led to the charges, a witness testified he saw the prisoners trying to run away at full sprint, some with their blindfolds down, when they were shot.

The case is one of a series from the Iraq war in which US military personnel are accused of crimes against Iraqi civilians.

Reuters