Prisoner abuse probe to be Iraq-wide: US military

The US army will conduct a "comprehensive" investigation into the US military intelligence and interrogation methods in Iraq and will cover all detention facilities in the country, Brig. Gen, Mark Kimmitt said Monday.

The probe would be launched for country-wide and "as comprehensive as possible" into the alleged torture of prisoners inthe US-run jails in Iraq, Kimmitt, the US-led coalition's deputy director of operations told reporters.

"I certainly know that the investigation will be widespread, will be thorough," he said.

He confirmed that seven soldiers had been charged with criminal offences as a result of an earlier investigation, adding that "those are the ones who are going to go through the courts-martial proceedings".

Army specialist Jeremy Sivits, 24, is so far the only soldier who has been ordered to face a court martial scheduled to take place in public in Baghdad on May 19.

Source: Xinhua