Ill-equipped Platoon Arrested Over Refused "Suicide Mission"

The US military has confirmed it is investigating allegations that members of a reserve US army unit in Iraq refused to undertake a convoy mission.  The unit involved is responsible for transporting food, water and fuel for US-led forces, a top US official said. Up to 19 soldiers from the unit based near Talil in southern Iraq allegedly failed to carry out their orders. The soldiers, from a unit north of Baghdad, told family members that they considered the convoy destined for Taji to be a "suicide mission", citing the poor condition of their vehicles and the absence of ground and air support to protect the convoy.The platoon is under arrest for refusing a "suicide mission" to deliver fuel, the troops' relatives said Thursday. Refusal to obey orders in a combat zone is a serious military offence. Yet, the occupation has become a perilous situation, with more than 1,000 US troops killed since the invasion. [more ] and [more ]

• Pictured above: Army Reserve Sgt. Larry O. McCook, of Jackson, Miss., shown in this 2004 handout photograph taken at the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond, Miss., where he is a deputy, is one of several soldiers said to be part of a reservist supply unit in Iraq  that refused to go on a convoy mission. According to his wife, Patricia McCook, her husband and other reservists refused to go on a 'suicide mission' to deliver fuel, to Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad, because they considered their vehicles unsafe. [more ]
• U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson said he plans to submit a congressional inquiry today on behalf of the Mississippi soldiers to launch an investigation into whether they are being treated improperly. "I would not want any member of the military to be put in a dangerous situation ill-equipped," said Thompson, who was contacted by families. "I have had similar complaints from military families about vehicles that weren't armor-plated, or bullet-proof vests that are outdated. It concerns me because we made over $150 billion in funds available to equip our forces in Iraq. "President Bush takes the position that the troops are well-armed, but if this situation is true, it calls into question how honest he has been with the country," Thompson said. [more ]