Soldiers charged with murder
The week's news at a glance.
Salahuddin, Iraq
The U.S. Army has charged three members of its elite 101st Airborne Division with murder, in connection with the deaths of three Iraqi prisoners last month. The three—Staff Sgt. Raymond Girouard, Spc. William Hunsaker, and Pfc. Corey Clagett—are also accused of threatening to kill a fellow soldier if he told anyone about the slayings. A Pentagon official said the soldiers allegedly released the detainees on purpose and then shot them, claiming they were trying to escape. The three Iraqis were civilians, the Pentagon said, captured during a joint U.S.-Iraqi anti-insurgency operation in the Sunni heartland. The three Americans are in custody awaiting a hearing to determine if enough evidence exists for a court martial. If convicted of murder, they would face the death penalty.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will divisions over trans issue derail Keir Starmer's government?
Today's Big Question Rebellion is brewing following the Supreme Court's ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the Sun
In The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
By Abby Wilson
-
Gandhi charges: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK