by TChris

The NY Times recaps the murky status of homicide investigations regarding prisoners who died in the Bagram Detention Center in Afghanistan, and links members of a military intelligent unit responsible for interrogations at both Bagram and Abu Ghraib in Iraq. The LA Times reports that two military intelligence soldiers who appear in pictures taken at Abu Ghraib, Spcs. Armin J. Cruz and Israel Rivera, have been ordered to remain in Bahgdad as the investigation of prisoner abuse continues.

In an interview, Houston defense attorney Guy L. Womack, who represents Army Cpl. Charles A. Graner Jr., said that he expected a wave of charges in coming weeks against military intelligence officers, who he said he believed were directing the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

A defense lawyer representing another guard being court-martialed said Cruz and Rivera were present on the tier during the torture because they wanted to make sure the abuse was carried out.

The military claims that its homicide investigations have been slowed by the difficulty of locating witnesses or participants who have transferred out of Iraq. Now that the scandal has been publicized, the military seems to be doing a better job of keeping track of its soldiers. While Rivera and Cruz will remain in Iraq, neither has been charged, and it is unclear whether they are regarded as witnesses or targets of the investigation.