Rapes reported in Iraq

Washington, D.C.

Dozens of women returning from military duty in the Persian Gulf have reported being sexually assaulted by their fellow servicemen. Thirty-eight women coming home from the war zone told a civilian advocacy group, the Miles Foundation, in Connecticut, that they had been raped or otherwise sexually abused, The Denver Post reported. Many said they received inadequate medical treatment and counseling after their attacks, and some said they were charged with adultery or fraternization after they reported the assaults to superiors. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld last week ordered an investigation. “Sexual assaults will not be tolerated in the Department of Defense,” he said.