Australia to Investigate Soldier's Death

[Haole Girl]

Australia to Investigate Soldier's Death

By MIKE CORDER, Associated Press Writer
44 minutes ago

SYDNEY, Australia - The Australian government said Saturday that it has ordered an investigation into the death of one of its soldiers in Iraq and the bungled repatriation of his body.

The announcement by Defense Minister Brendan Nelson came hours after a casket containing the remains of Private Jake Kovco arrived at Sydney Airport.

Kovco, 25, was the first Australian serviceman to die on duty in Iraq since the U.S.-led war began in 2003. Initial reports said the father of two shot himself while cleaning his gun.

But Nelson said he could not explain the exact circumstances of Kovco's death, which occurred inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Nelson said two other soldiers were present but there was no evidence either was involved...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060429/ap_on_re_au_an/australia_iraq

[Haole Girl]

1. The more I read about this the more I wonder

I can't help but wonder if it could have been suicide. I certainly hope not, and hope it is not some kind of cover-up, as well.

Here is another link: http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/news/20060429p2g00m0in014000c.html

[Kailassa]

2. My question is not: "was it suicide?" It's : "why was he murdered?"

The Government said today the soldier wasn't cleaning his weapon when he was fatally shot in Baghdad on Friday - apparently contradicting an explanation immediately after his death. The comments came as the family expressed their disbelief in the claim that Pte Kovco - the first Australian soldier to die in Iraq - had accidentally shot himself.

The family's ordeal has been made worse by the discovery that the body of another soldier, believed to be Bosnian, was contained in the casket which arrived in Melbourne from Kuwait this morning.

Pte Kovco's mother told The Age newspaper in Melbourne that the family were at a complete loss to explain the accident. "He didn't know just guns from the army, my son was a deer hunter and has been from a young age," Judy Kovco said. "You could put a blindfold on him (and) he could dismantle a gun and put it together again without even looking at it," she said. "He didn't shoot himself. The gun went off. It was near him, it was nearby. What did Jake do - put his head down near the table so it could shoot him in the head, did he?"

"He had returned to his room with two of his mates. They had been out on patrol. He was doing something other than handling his firearm and in the process of fiddling about with the other equipment he had, it would appear, that in some way he's knocked his gun and it's discharged," Dr Nelson said today.

http://www.rebellenation.blogspot.com/

I hope the family have the body properly examined. Returning the wrong body after such a questionable death is too coincidental for my liking.

[Haole Girl]

3. Whatever it was

I'm sure there is more to this. It should prove interesting when/if it all unravels.