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Updated: 04:38 AM EDT

Female Soldier Charged in Iraqi Abuse Case

By MARGARET LILLARD, AP

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 8) - Although relatives insist she was following orders, the military charged an Army reservist with assaulting detainees after photographs surfaced of her smiling and pointing at naked Iraqi prisoners.

Pfc. Lynndie England on Friday became the seventh member of an Army Reserve military police unit to be charged in a scandal that has drawn outrage around the world and damaged the reputation of the United States as it tries to stabilize Iraq.

England 21, faces four allegations, according to a statement from the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg.

She is accused of assaulting Iraqi detainees on multiple occasions; conspiring with another soldier, Spc. Charles Graner, to mistreat the prisoners; committing an indecent act; and committing acts ''that were prejudicial to good order and discipline and were of nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces through her mistreatment of Iraqi detainees.''

Earlier Friday, England's relatives said she was following orders when she posed for the pictures. They could not be immediately reached for comment after the charges were announced.

''I don't believe my sister did what was in those photos,'' Jessica Klinestiver said. ''Certain people told her what to do. I believe they were posed.''

In photographs that have been shown repeatedly in news reports, England is seen smiling, cigarette in her mouth, as she leans forward and points at the genitals of a naked, hooded Iraqi.

Another photo shows her holding a leash that encircles the neck of a naked Iraqi man lying on his side on a cellblock floor, his face contorted.

The charges must be taken up in Article 32 investigation, a process similar to a civilian grand jury, before England would face a general court-martial. Potential penalties could range from a reprimand to imprisonment and a punitive discharge, according to Fort Bragg spokesman Col. Billy Buckner.

Buckner said a military lawyer has not been appointed yet to represent England, now four months pregnant and assigned to a military police unit at Fort Bragg. She also could hire a civilian lawyer.

Both England and Graner were members of the Army Reserve's 372nd Military Police Company, based in Cumberland, Md. Graner's attorney has said he faces a possible court-martial on criminal charges of maltreatment and indecent acts.

England's family said she is pregnant with Graner's child.

England, who had been doing administrative work for the MP unit at Fort Bragg, will continue her duties for the present, the Corps statement said. She was not in custody.

After photos from the Abu Ghraib prison were beamed around the globe, reporters flocked to Fort Ashby, a town of 1,300 people where England's extended family lives. England's parents left town Thursday to escape the attention.

The family's lawyer, Roy Hardy, said he arranged a news conference in Fountain, W.Va., to relieve family members from constant media pressure.

''No one has the full story of what was going on in those pictures,'' Hardy said. ''They don't show what was behind her, beside her or what was going on behind the scenes.

''When all this comes to light, she will not be depicted the way she's being depicted right now,'' he said.

England's relatives have said she was a ''paper pusher'' in Iraq who processed inmates and only went to the prison to visit friends who worked there.

England was described as a kind young woman who loves athletics and the outdoors and is unafraid to speak her mind. She joined the Army Reserve as a high school junior to earn money for college.

Family and friends showed reporters a half-dozen photos of England, including images from her senior prom and high school graduation in 2001.

''I just wanted to make sure you guys knew she was a human being,'' Hardy told reporters.

---

Associated Press Writer Gavin McCormick in Fountain, W.Va., contributed to this report.

AP-NY-05-08-04 0358EDT





This is the "babe" in the photos pointing to the prisoners.

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