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U.S. commander in Iraq urges troops to fight fair

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- America's top military commander in Iraq has sent a letter to troops challenging them to "occupy the moral high ground" after a Pentagon survey showed some service members were reluctant to report the "illegal actions" of fellow personnel.
In the letter, dated Thursday, Gen. David Petraeus wrote he was "concerned" with the poll's findings.
"This fight depends on securing the population, which must understand that we -- not our enemies -- occupy the moral high ground," he said.
The survey of ethics, released last week, assessed the mental health and ethical attitudes of more than 1,300 soldiers and nearly 450 Marines last year. (Read the report)
Results showed that fewer than half of soldiers and Marines would report a team member for unethical behavior.
The general, who since February has overseen the Bush administration's troop "surge" in Iraq, said while bonds formed on the battlefield are understandable, "we must not let our bonds prevent us from speaking up."
Survey results also showed that about 10 percent admitted mistreating noncombatants or damaging their property when it was not necessary.
Only about 47 percent of Army soldiers and 38 percent of Marines agreed that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect.
In the letter, Petraeus also underscored that torture to obtain information from the enemy was "wrong."
More than a third of soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a comrade.
"Beyond the basic fact that such actions are illegal, history shows that they also are frequently neither useful or necessary," Petraeus said.
Throughout the one-page letter, Petraeus was understanding but firm.
"Seeing a fellow trooper killed by a barbaric enemy can spark frustration," he said, but later added "we must must observe the standards and values that dictate that we treat noncombatants and detainees with dignity and respect."
The military has had its share of troop indiscretions and illegal activity.
In 2004, inmate abuse was reported at Abu Ghraib prison, and in 2005 it was discovered Marines in Haditha killed more than 20 Iraqi civilians.
Other developments
The U.S. military on Friday reported the deaths of two U.S. soldiers in Iraq on Thursday. One soldier was killed in a roadside bombing targeting a patrol in eastern Baghdad. Another soldier died from wounds sustained in an explosion in Diyala province, a military statement said. Thirty-four U.S. military personnel have been killed in May, bringing the total for the Iraq war to 3,385, including seven Defense Department civilians.
Coalition forces killed "four terrorists" and detained "nine suspected terrorists" in raids Thursday and Friday targeting car bomb networks in Iraq, the U.S. military said in a statement. One of those killed was a suspected car-bomb cell leader "allegedly tied to al Qaeda in Iraq senior leadership."
A 221-205 U.S. House vote on Thursday sends a $96 billion war spending bill to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future as Republican and Democratic leaders try to work out a compromise with the White House. (Full story)

posted by mhai @ 9:21 AM