The Mahmudiyah killings was the gang-rape and killing of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl by United States Army soldiers on March 12, 2006, and the murder of her family, in a house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq. Five U.S. Army soldiers of the 502nd Infantry Regiment were charged with the crimes: (I) SGT Paul E. Cortez, (II) SPC James P. Barker, (III) PFC Jesse V. Spielman, (IV) PFC Brian L. Howard and (V) PFC Steven D. Green (whom the U.S. Army discharged before the crime's discovery).
Abeer Qasim Hamza, 14, was raped and murdered, after her family consisting of her mother, Fakhriyah Taha Muhsin, 34; father, Qasim Hamza Raheem, 45; and six-year-old sister Hadeel Qasim Hamza, were killed. Spielman and Green have been convicted and three others have pleaded guilty.
Read more about Mahmudiyah Killings: Background, Rape and Killings, Cover Up, Alleged Retaliation, Legal Proceedings, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the word killings:
“... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period when there have been unnecessary killings.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)