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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27261136.htmCalif. Guard unit probed for abuse in Iraq - paper
LOS ANGELES, July 27 (Reuters) - At least 23 members of a California National Guard battalion serving in Iraq are under investigation for the alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees and for a $30,000 extortion scheme involving promises to protect shopkeepers from insurgents, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.
Citing military officials and unnamed members of the unit, the newspaper said the abuse allegations focused on an incident in which a stun gun was apparently used to torture Iraqi detainees after an insurgent attack in June on a Baghdad area power plant. At least 17 soldiers are under investigation.
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One soldier told the Los Angeles Times that the stun gun incident -- apparently used on a man who was handcuffed and blindfolded -- had been captured on videotape.
The extortion scheme under investigation is said to have involved at least six soldiers on night patrols in the Baghdad areas who demanded more than $30,000 from shopkeepers in exchange for protection from insurgents.
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