Two U.S. soldiers were charged with premeditated murder in two separate incidents. On Saturday, the U.S. military cited Staff Sergeant Michael Hensley and Specialist Jorge Sandoval were charged with murder and wrongfully placing weapons with the remains of the deceased. Hensley is charged with three counts of murder, while Sandoval faces one conviction. The charges were brought after fellow soldiers reported the crimes, which took place sometime between April and June 2007. The two are being held in military custody in Kuwait.
In related incidents, Iraqi police and hospital officials are claiming the U.S. military employed wanton force during a raid in Sadr City, which resulted in the deaths of 8 Iraqi civilians, with more than 20 wounded. The U.S. military claims they were tracking Iranian agents and militants in the volatile neighbor and that “Everyone who got shot was shooting at U.S. troops at the time.” Witnesses, however, state that U.S. troops entered the city in a pre-dawn raid and opened fire without warning. Military spokesmen have stated that U.S. personnel had engaged civilians appropriately.
