Monday 10th July, 2006

Contrary to U.S. military claims a girl allegedly pack raped by five U.S. soldiers was an adult over the age of 20, documents show the girl was just 14.

Reuters newsagency authenticated the victim's age on Sunday by examining her birth certificate and identity card. U.S. military officials have repeatedly said the victim was 20, and in recent days had begun describing her as "an adult over 20 years of age." Court documents prepared by U.S. military personnel said the rape victim was "an adult female", and estimated her age at 25.

By Friday though the military was backing away from the claims as Reuters and others began probing the matter. On Friday Army spokesman Paul Boyce said the U.S. military now believes the woman who the men were accused of raping and killing was between the ages of 14 and 20. While the military initially said she was 20, Boyce said he has seen documents that indicate she could have been about 14.

However a Multinational Corps Iraq news release, which announced the preferring of charges against five more U.S. soldiers in relation to the matter, and was issued as late as Sunday, described the rape victim as, "a young Iraqi woman."

Reuters said the girl, whose name was Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi, was born on August 19, 1991 in Baghdad, referring to her identity card, provided to the newsagency by a relative. Issued in 1993, it features a photograph of her at 18 months, wide-eyed and with a lick of dark hair over her brow.

A copy of her death certificate, dated March 13, gives the same birth date. She was found at home by a relative on March 12 and had died from "gunshot wounds to the head, with burns", said the document, signed by doctor Wael Habib and a registrar.

Charges have been preferred against four U.S. soldiers accused of the rape and murder of the girl, and the murder of her parents and six year old sister. All were repeatedly shot in the head, execution-style. A fifth soldier has been accused of dereliction of duty for failing to report the offenses, U.S. officials announced Sunday.

All are charged with conspiring with former Army Pfc. Steven D. Green to commit the crimes. Green, 21, a former 101st Airborne Division soldier, was arrested June 30 in connection with the incident, according to a July 3 announcement by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

Green was deployed from September 2005 to April 2006 and was discharged from the Army May 16. Army officials declined to disclose the circumstances of his discharge, citing privacy protections under the Health Information Privacy Protection Act.

The preferral of court-marital charges is merely an accusation, according to Sunday's statement. "Those accused are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," officials stated.

The next step in the legal process will be an investigation pursuant to Article 32 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Article 32 investigations are similar to grand jury hearings in civilian courts.