American forces decapitated an Iraqi last year on the order of their higher-up, show recently-exposed US military documents.
The troops operated under the command of an unnamed US major, who had been involved in the rape of an Iraqi female, showed one such document posted on the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
The incident took place after the victim, the brother of the raped female, reportedly killed a military official in reprisal for the indecent assault.
To enable the May incident in the city of Haditha of the western Iraq province of Al Anbar, the major said he was undertaking the transfer of two prisoners, including the victim.
WikiLeaks has released around 400,000 documents on the 2003-present US-led invasion of Iraq. The founder of the website, Julian Assange, has hailed the disclosure as one "about the truth" behind the war.
The site has also exposed documents on the similar US-led war in Afghanistan and is expected to disclose additional related details.
The following is the body of the original document .
___ DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: ON 25MAY09, MAJOR ___ (SWAT CDR) AND COL (___) TOLD -___ LEADERSHIP THAT THEY WERE GOING TO DELIVER TWO DETAINEES TO ___ IN THE NORTH BECAUSE THERE WAS MORE INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE ON THE TWO DETAINEES IN ___ THAN IN HADITHAH. WHILE ___ NORTH, MAJ ___ HIS CONVOY TO PULL OVER AND TRANSFER THE TWO DETAINEES TO HIS UNCLE AND FOUR BROTHERS. ACCORDING TO COL , ___ IP FOUND ONE OF THE DETAINEES DECAPITATED AND THE OTHER WAS RELEASED BY MAJ ' ___ MEMBERS. MAJ ___ CURRENTLY IN IP CUSTODY.
OVER A YEAR AGO MAJ ___ RELIEVED AS HADITHAH SWAT CDR DUE TO HIS ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN THE RAPING OF A FEMALE LOCAL NATIONAL. THE BEHEADED DETAINEE IS REPORTED TO BE THE BROTHER OF THE RAPED FEMALE WHO ALLEGEDLY KILLED MAJ ' ___ IN RETALIATION FOR THE RAPING OF HIS ___.
HN/MMA