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FORT CARSON, Colo. - The Army charged four soldiers with murder Monday, accusing them of suffocating an Iraqi general during an interrogation last fall.
Chief Warrant Officers Jefferson L. Williams and Lewis E. Welshofer Jr., Sgt. 1st Class William J. Sommer and Spc. Jerry L. Loper could get life in prison without parole in the Nov. 26 death of Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush, 57, at Qaim, Iraq.
The Army said Mowhoush died of asphyxiation from chest compression and from being smothered but gave no details on what the men are alleged to have done.
The Denver Post, citing military documents, reported Welshofer and Williams slid a sleeping bag over Mowhoush's head and rolled him from his back to his stomach while asking questions.
The charges bring to at least 10 the number of U.S. troops charged with murder in the deaths of Iraqis.