16 US troops commit suicide in Iraq

16 US troops commit suicide in Iraq
Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:48:50 GMT
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=68821§ionid=351020201

Sixteen US troops from the a unit of the Airborne Division have committed
suicide inside a military base in Iraq, security sources say.

Iraqi security sources have revealed that 21 US troops had committed suicide
inside a former Iraqi air force base 27 days ago, Fars News Agency reported
on Monday.

According to the sources, the 21 troops were treated in a hospital but only
five soldiers have survived and they are in a critical condition. Security
officials said they used potent narcotics to kill themselves.

The troops\' motivations for suicide are not known but according to Iraqi
sources the servicemen belonged to a unit of the US Airborne Division that
was behind the massacre of several Iraqi families-- mostly women and


official.

The suicides took place in the soldiers\' dormitory after the dinner time.
The bodies of the US troops became misshapen such a way that they looked
like 5000-year mummies, said a witness.

According to Iraqi officials\' estimates, some 600 US troops, including
senior officers, have committed suicide in Iraq since the invasion of the
country in 2003. Half of the suicide attempts have been successful.

SB/DA