FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - A soldier pleaded guilty Wednesday to being an accessory to the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the slaying of her family.
Pfc. Bryan Howard, 19, of Fort Campbell, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice by lying to his superior officers about the attack last year in Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad. It was one of the most shocking atrocities committed by U.S. troops in the Iraq war.
Howard agreed to five years in prison under a plea deal but will not serve more than 27 months if he follows conditions of the agreement, military judge Col. Stephen Henley said.
n a statement to the court, Howard apologized to the military, his family and the victims. He said he regretted not taking action to stop the killings and not telling the truth. "If I could go back, I would not have let it happen in the first place, and I definitely would have told someone," he said.
Howard faced up to 15 years in prison. Under the agreement, his rank will be reduced to private and he will be dishonorably discharged. He will also have to testify against others charged in the case......
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