IRAQ Army is probing prisoners' deaths

The Justice Department acknowledged investigating an abuse case in Iraq.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army has undertaken criminal investigations into the deaths of at least 32 Iraqis and five Afghans held by U.S. forces since August 2002, Pentagon officials revealed Friday.
The deaths are from 33 separate cases, two of which involved more than one death. That is eight more cases than the Pentagon had publicly reported two weeks ago.
Nine are active cases, and eight of those are classified as homicides involving suspected assaults of detainees before or during interrogation sessions. Two have been resolved as homicide cases. Four are called justifiable homicides and 15 have been classified as deaths by natural or undetermined cause, the Pentagon said.
Breakdown of cases
Of the total of 33 cases, 30 involve detainees who died inside a U.S.-run detention facility. In the three other cases, two Iraqis and one Afghani died while under U.S. control outside a facility.
That statistical breakdown was provided by a senior military official, who spoke on condition he not be identified.
Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said members of Congress were given the same information Friday.
Also, for the first time Friday, the Justice Department acknowledged that it has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq. Justice spokesman Mark Corallo said the probe involved an unidentified civilian contractor working for the Defense Department. It was unclear if the case being investigated by the Justice Department involved a death.
The Justice Department can prosecute such contractors for crimes committed overseas, including torture, if they are not already under military jurisdiction.
"We remain committed to taking all appropriate action within our jurisdiction regarding allegations of mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners," Corallo said.
No further details were provided. The Justice Department has also received at least three referrals for possible prosecution from the CIA related to prisoner abuse allegations, but has not announced a full criminal investigation into those cases.
One soldier disciplined
Among cases involving Iraqi and Afghani detainees, only one U.S. soldier is known to have been disciplined. In that homicide case, in September 2003, a soldier shot and killed an Iraqi prisoner who was throwing rocks at him. The soldier was charged with using excessive force, reduced in rank and dismissed from the military. Another homicide case involved someone working for the CIA and has been turned over to the Justice Department.
The Pentagon official said that of the nine unresolved death investigations, six cases happened in Iraq -- including two at Abu Ghraib prison -- and three were in Afghanistan. Of the two at Abu Ghraib, one is considered a homicide case and the other is expected to be determined to be by natural causes, the official said.
Whitman, the Pentagon spokesman, said records are still be examined, and that the number of cases could rise.
In addition to the 30 cases involving deaths inside U.S.-run detention facilities, there were three cases involving detainees who were outside. One was a death involving a soldier who shot and killed an Afghani who had lunged toward a weapon, the senior military officer said.
Another was an Iraqi who drowned after he was forced off a bridge by a U.S. soldier. In the third case, a U.S. soldier shot and killed an Iraqi when he lunged at another U.S. soldier, the official said.