© 2024 WYPR
WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore WYPF 88.1 FM Frederick WYPO 106.9 FM Ocean City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Inquiry in Iraqi Deaths Delayed by Exhumation

Marine and Army investigators are struggling to get permission to exhume the bodies of Iraqis to strengthen criminal cases against American soldiers and Marines. But their efforts are at odds with the religious and cultural sensitivities of Muslims, who generally bar disturbing a body once it is buried.

The biggest case is in Haditha, where Marines allegedly killed 24 Iraqi civilians last November. Investigators are expected to wrap up that case in the next two weeks -- they say there are waiting to examine the bodies.

Another case is in Mamudiya, where a soldier allegedly raped and murdered a teenaged girl, then killed three members of her family.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Tom Bowman is a NPR National Desk reporter covering the Pentagon.