Rumsfeld has called for an inquiry into women soldiers in Iraq being raped

[NNN0LHI]

CNN has just reported this a few minutes ago. I have not found a link to the Rumsfeld decision yet but I have found this article from last week. I will post a link when one becomes available to the CNN transcript if I can't find another.

Don

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E23827%257E1924219,00.html

Military assaults spur call to action

Lawmakers pledge rape, abuse inquiry

Members of Congress are promising public hearings into the military's handling of sexual assault and domestic violence as they demand answers from the Pentagon on the issue.

Dozens of lawmakers are forming coalitions and drafting letters to Department of Defense officials and key congressional leaders calling for a broader investigation of the military. The leadership of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues is vowing to rally every female member of Congress in support of military reforms.

Citing stories in The Denver Post, Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., launched a bipartisan effort this week to persuade House leaders to hold full committee hearings to examine the military's justice system and "root causes" of crimes against military women.

Slaughter called reports of female service members being raped shocking and pledged to hold public hearings through the women's caucus if the full Congress does not pursue them. snip

On Sunday, The Post reported that at least 37 female service members have sought sexual-trauma counseling and other assistance from civilian rape-crisis organizations after returning from deployment in and around Iraq. Among some of the patterns in the cases: complaints of lax investigations, poor medical treatment and threats of punishment.

The Pentagon and White House declined Thursday to respond to requests for comment.

more

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Still under Breaking News banner

at cnn.com No article as of yet.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Thanks for checking n/t