Three Troops Charged For Prisoner Deaths

Ugh…

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Monday three U.S. soldiers had been charged over the deaths of three male prisoners in Iraq on May 9.
It said the soldiers faced charges including “murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat, and obstructing justice.” It was not immediately clear whether all three faced the murder charge.
“Three members of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division have been charged in connection with the deaths of three male detainees,” the U.S. military said in a statement.

Remember that these troops have been charged, not convicted, and are worth of being presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Still, though, if they did this they’ve just handed another propaganda victory to the enemy.
Update:
Hold on now, saying that these troops have been “charged” with a crime is a little inaccurate at this point:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The U.S. Army has charged three soldiers in connection with the deaths of three Iraqis who were in military custody in southern Iraq last month, the military said Monday.
The Multinational Corps-Iraq said three members of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division have been charged in connection with the deaths of three male detainees during an operation near Thar Thar Canal in southern Salahuddin province on May 9.
”A noncommissioned officer and two soldiers each have been charged with violating several articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, communicating a threat, and obstructing justice,” an announcement said.
It added that ”on the day the alleged murders occurred, the unit commander ordered an inquiry to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three detainees.”
It said that a criminal investigation began May 17 and was ongoing.
”The soldiers are currently in pre-trial confinement awaiting an Article 32 hearing to determine if sufficient evidence exists for the case to be referred to court-martial,” the announcement said
Once charged, defendants have the right to an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury investigation.

It seems to me (and I’m not an expert on military justice) as though the only thing that has happened so far is that an inquiry into the incident has concluded that there is enough evidence to present to a military equivalent of a grand jury for indictment.
Once again, the media is too quick with the trigger when it comes to accusations against our troops.