US Army Won't Prosecute 17 Soldiers

The U.S. military says 27 detainees who died in U.S. custody in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2002 and 2004 were the victims of homicide or suspected homicide. In the report Friday, the Army Criminal Investigation Command said Army commanders have decided not to pursue charges against 17 American Soldiers implicated in the deaths of three of the detainees. The military says those cases were dropped because of lack of evidence, or soldiers used justified force or were not aware of the rules of engagement. A number of Soldiers are facing charges in the other detainee deaths.(This is the reason the US military is suffering a severe troop shortage! The Army announced this week that it will miss its recruitment goals for the next two months. Who wants to take the risk of prosecution for serving there country.) Anti-American groups have expressed outrage over mistreatment of detainees. The military says it takes the deaths seriously. U.S. army commanders decided not to prosecute 17 GI's implicated in the death of detainees.