Soldier took 'vigilante justice' on prisoner

A female soldier in the Army’s 320th Military Police Battalion took “vigilante justice” on Iraqi prisoners who she believed had raped Army Private Jessica Lynch, according to a letter from the battalion’s commander.

Lieut Colonel Jerry Phillabaum, commander of 320th Military Police Battalion, levelled the allegation in a rebuttal to charges against his leadership of the 320th, some of whose soldiers were also charged with abusing prisoners at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison.

Phillabaum made the allegation in an April 12 memo to Lieut General Thomas Metz, deputy commander of coalition forces in Iraq. He provided a copy to The Associated Press.

In the document, Phillabaum said Master Sgt Lisa Girman, 35, and three other MPs from the same battalion abused the prisoners at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq on May 12, 2003.

“When Master Sgt. Lisa Girman returned to Camp Bucca shortly before midnight, she took ‘vigilante justice’ against EPW (enemy prisoners of war) that she believed had raped Jessica Lynch,” he said.

“Four out of the 10 320th MP Battalion soldiers abused some of the EPWs a clear indication that the abuse was the responsibility of those individuals acting alone and was not condoned by myself or any leader at Camp Bucca.”

Lynch was captured and injured in the early days of the Iraq invasion. She was later rescued by US troops.

The four Army reservists from the 320th Military Police Battalion are accused of punching and kicking several Iraqis, breaking one man’s nose, while escorting prisoners to a POW processing centre.