Two Marines That Conspired To Rape And Kill Are Under Investigation

Through 2002 and 2003, the military investigated 1,913 allegations of sexual assault. I'll add that those are just the number of cases that have been reported. Not all are.

"In many cases the commanders were very supportive … In other cases, the commander was insensitive … Some ignored it."
-A victim of sexual assault in Iraq or Kuwait.

U.S. Probes Report Soldiers Killed Iraqi Family
Charges came to light during counseling

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. Army has ordered an investigation into the killing of an Iraqi family of four at their home in Mahmoudiya, a town south of Baghdad, a U.S. military statement said Friday.

The probe concerns allegations that at least two U.S. soldiers were involved in the rape of a woman, and that one of them killed her, a child, and two other adults, U.S. military sources said.

Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commanding general of Multinational Division-Baghdad, ordered the Army's Criminal Investigation Command to conduct the probe.

"A preliminary inquiry conducted by MND-Baghdad found sufficient information existed to recommend a criminal investigation into the incident," the statement said.

The allegations into the deaths came to light last Friday, when a soldier undergoing a stress debriefing said he heard that other soldiers might have been involved in a rape and murder in March.

That soldier is from the 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, the same unit as the three soldiers involved in the checkpoint attack June 16 near Yusifiya. In that incident, Spc. David J. Babineau was killed, and two others -- Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker -- were abducted and later found dead.

Soldiers in the unit were undergoing stress counseling after that incident.

The military said it interviewed a second soldier, who gave a report similar to the first. That soldier said he saw bloodstains on other soldiers' clothing and heard them conspire to commit such an act.

Both soldiers said they didn't witness the alleged incident.

The investigation into the killings began Saturday.