Senior officers present for abuse, US soldier's trial hears

SENIOR military officers were aware of widespread abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers, and lower-ranking troops should not be made scapegoats, the lawyer for an accused female soldier said yesterday.

Speaking at a hearing in Baghdad that will decide whether Specialist Sabrina Harman will face a court martial, civilian defence lawyer Frank Spinner said soldiers far more senior than Harman had been aware of the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison.

"I don't think the world wants to see someone of her rank and experience taking the fall," he told the judge. "That's not someone who should be court-martialled."