Thursday, October 21, 2004
The commander asked for the action to be taken.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The company commander of a U.S. Army Reserve unit whose soldiers refused to deliver fuel along a dangerous route in Iraq has been relieved of her duties, the U.S. military said today.
The decision to relieve the commander of the 343rd Quartermaster Company came at her request and is effective immediately, according to a statement from the 13th Corps Support Command. It was authorized by Brig. Gen. James E. Chambers.
"The outgoing commander is not suspected of misconduct and this move has nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of anyone involved," the statement said.
The commander, whose name is being withheld to protect her privacy, will be reassigned to another position commensurate with her rank and experience, the U.S. military said.
Eighteen soldiers from the 343rd Quartermaster Company, based in Rock Hill, S.C., are under investigation for refusing to drive a fuel convoy from Tallil air base near Nasiriyah to Taji north of Baghdad.
The mission was later carried out by other soldiers from the unit, which has at least 120 soldiers, the military said.
The soldiers have told their families that they balked at the mission last week because the vehicles were unarmored and in poor condition. They said complaints to their commander about concerns went unheeded.
Targets of attacks
Military convoys are often the target of insurgent attacks in Iraq. The unit delivers food, water and fuel on trucks in combat zones.
Chambers said Sunday that an investigation is under way but maintains that it is "too early" to determine if any of the soldiers will undergo disciplinary action. The soldiers have since returned to duty.
Military downplays incident
The U.S. military has downplayed the incident, calling it an isolated incident not indicative of wider U.S. Army morale or maintenance problems.
However, Chambers has called for the 343rd to undergo a two-week "safety maintenance stand-down," during which it will conduct no further missions as the unit's vehicles are inspected.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Cabinet met today to discuss a U.S. request for British troops to be moved into volatile central Iraq, a proposal that has met strong opposition within the governing Labor Party.
British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon planned a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon, Blair's official spokesman said.
"There was unanimous support from the Cabinet for the troops and their commanders on the ground and respect their judgment and a determination that government should do all that can in helping with the process of bringing free elections to Iraq in January, to help finish the job that they have set out to do," said the spokesman.
U.S. military commanders asked on Oct. 10 for Britain to send a unit currently stationed in southern Iraq to the U.S.-controlled sector further north. British ministers said the move would free up American forces to intensify their attacks on insurgents in Fallujah and other flashpoint areas.
Gunmen attack bus
In Iraq, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying female employees of Iraqi Airways to the Baghdad airport today, killing one and wounding 14, an airline official said. All the victims were Iraqi women.
Also, the husband of the kidnapped director of CARE International made a plea in Baghdad for her release, saying she has spent her life helping Iraqis.
Margaret Hassan, the head of operations in Iraq for the charity, was abducted on her way to work early Tuesday by gunmen who blocked her route and dragged the driver and a companion from the car, said her husband Tahseen Ali Hassan.
During a press conference today, Hassan, an Iraqi national, addressed the kidnappers, saying: "Release my wife. She's Iraqi; she's working for a humanitarian organization and I ask you to release her."
The attack on the airline workers occurred on the main road linking the airport with central Baghdad, the official said on condition of anonymity. The U.S. State Department has described travel between central Baghdad and the airport as "particularly dangerous."
The official said the attack killed one person and wounded 14 -- all women. Insurgents often target Iraqis seen as cooperating with American or government institutions.