BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military is investigating whether the kidnapping, killing and mutilation of two soldiers was carried out in retaliation for an alleged rape and killing of an Iraqi woman by another member of the same unit three months earlier, a military official said yesterday.

The incidents occurred in nearby towns, and the soldiers involved were from the same unit. Both the bodies of the two U.S. soldiers and at least one Iraqi were brutalized.

The official, citing the results of a preliminary military investigation, also said yesterday that military officers had forced the chief suspect in the rape case out of the Army before the accusation against him came to light because they believed he could pose a threat to Iraq civilians.
post-gazette.com

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