Five soldiers charged in Iraq rape-murder case

Four U.S. soldiers in Iraq are charged with participation in the "rape and murder of a young Iraqi woman and three members of her family," the U.S. military said Sunday. A fifth soldier is accused of dereliction of duty for failing to report the offenses. All five are charged with conspiring with former Pfc. Steven D. Green to commit the crimes, the military said, in connection with the incident in March in Mahmoudiya, Iraq. There have been conflicting reports about the alleged rape victim's age. Sunday, Reuters news agency released documents indicating that she was 14. Reuters said identification cards and death certificates give the victim's date of birth as August 19, 1991. The mayor of Mahmoudiya confirmed that birth date to CNN. However, a Justice Department affidavit in the case against Green says investigators estimated victim's age at about 25, while the U.S. military said she was 20. The U.S. military statement Sunday made clear that officials are aware of the discrepancies and that her age is an important part of the investigation.

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