US Probing Whether Troops in Iraq Refused Mission

http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=6517561

US Probing Whether Troops in Iraq Refused Mission
Fri Oct 15, 2004 04:40 PM ET

By Charles Aldinger

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The military is investigating reports that some 
U.S. troops this week refused to take part in a supply convoy in Iraq, 
where explosive devices have killed dozens of soldiers, defense 
officials said on Friday.

A statement issued by the U.S. military press center in Baghdad called 
it an "isolated incident." Family members of some of the 17 troops told 
a U.S. newspaper that security for the fuel trucks was inadequate.

The brief military statement said some members of the 343rd 
Quartermaster Company, a unit that moves water and other supplies for 
American troops, reportedly refused to participate in their assigned 
convoy mission on Wednesday.

Refusal to obey orders, especially in a combat zone, is a serious 
offense in the military. But the statement stressed that "it is far too 
early in the investigation to speculate as to what happened, why it 
happened or any action that might be taken."

The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi, reported on Friday 
that interviews with some family members indicated that soldiers from 
the unit based in Tallil refused to go on the mission because they did 
not have an adequate armed escort and the vehicles were not in good shape.

The newspaper said the convoy was going to Taji, north of Baghdad.

FREQUENT ATTACK TARGETS

Civilian and military convoys in Iraq, where more than 1,000 U.S. troops 
have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, are 
frequently targets for roadside bombings and other ambushes.

"I got a call from an officer in another unit early (Thursday) morning 
who told me that my husband and his platoon had been arrested on a bogus 
charge because they refused to go on a suicide mission," the newspaper 
quoted Jackie Butler of Jackson as saying.

"When my husband refuses to follow an order, it has to be something 
major," said Butler, identified as the wife of Sgt. Michael Butler, a 
24-year reservist.

One soldier left a message on his mother's telephone answering machine 
saying that the soldiers were under arrest while the investigation was 
going on, according to the newspaper.

The military said the commanding general of the 13th Corps support 
command had appointed the deputy commander to lead an investigation of 
the allegations.

"It is important to note that the mission in question was carried out 
using other soldiers from the unit," the statement said.

"The investigating team is currently in Tallil taking statements and 
interviewing those involved," it added.

The brief statement did not provide other details or confirm comments by 
relatives to the Jackson newspaper.
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