Frequent deadly attacks by insurgents sapped morale and raised combat stress in a US Army platoon that included soldiers accused of raping and murdering a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, a member of the unit testified yesterday.

Private First Class Justin Cross recounted the "mentally draining" conditions in which the unit served in Mahmoudiya south of Baghdad where Abeer Qassim al-Janabi was raped and killed along with her parents and 5-year-old sister.

"It drives you nuts. You feel like every step you might get blown up. You just hit a point where you're like, 'If I die today, I die.' You're just walking a death walk," Cross told the hearing.

Specialist James P. Barker, Sergeant Paul E. Cortez, Private First Class Jesse V. Spielman and Private First Class Bryan L. Howard are accused of raping the girl, and murdering her and the other three. Another soldier, Sergeant Anthony W. Yribe, is accused of failing to report the attack but is not alleged to have been a direct participant.

The ongoing hearing will determine if they should be court martialed. If convicted by a court-martial, the five could face the death penalty.

Yesterday, lawyers for the four main accused demanded a new hearing, accusing Yribe's counsel of deliberately asking incriminating questions. A ruling was expected later in the day.

A sixth soldier in the unit, former Private First Class Steven D. Green, was discharged from the Army for a "personality disorder" after the incident and was arrested in North Carolina in June on rape and murder charges. He has pleaded not guilty in federal court and is being held without bond.

All were assigned to the same platoon of the 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Yesterday, Cross testified that soldiers often drank Iraqi whiskey and took painkillers to relieve the stress of not knowing whether the day would be their last.

Mahmoudiya, about 30 kilometres south of Baghdad, is one of the most dangerous places in Iraq, where bomb and gun attacks by insurgents take place almost daily.

Cross said the unit was "full of despair," and he himself felt he would die at a checkpoint before he could go home.

"I couldn't sleep mainly for fear we would be attacked," Cross said. He said the loss of two soldiers shot at a checkpoint "pretty much crushed the platoon."

Cross testified that Barker, who obtained the Iraqi whiskey, drank the most. He said he knew Green also was taking painkillers even though he never saw him. "Everybody was very depressed. It was (an) outlet to release," Cross said.

Source: China Daily