Iraq will ask the United Nations Security Council to end the immunity that US troops have from Iraqi laws.

A week after Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, asked for a review of the immunity that has been granted to foreign troops, Iraqi Human Rights Minister Wijdan Michael said the review is now underway, reports Reuters. She added that a request to end the immunity could be ready for the United Nations, under whose mandate the US-led forces serve in Iraq, in August.

"We formed a committee last week to prepare reports and put it before the cabinet in three weeks. After that, Maliki will present it to the Security Council. We will ask them to lift the immunity," Michael said. "If we don't get that, then we'll ask for an effective role in the investigations that are going on. The Iraqi government must have a role."

Jurist, a legal website, reports on the US immunity in Iraq.

A decree issued by the US-run Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) provided that "the MNF [Multi-National Force], the CPA, Foreign Liaison Missions, their Personnel, property, funds and assets, and all International Consultants shall be immune from Iraqi legal process," including "any arrest, detention or legal proceedings in Iraqi courts or other Iraqi bodies, whether criminal, civil, or administrative." When the Coalition Provisional Authority was replaced by Iraq's interim government in June 2004, the immunity language was annexed to the UN Security Council resolution authorizing the US-led occupation.

Reuters also reports that although "Iraqis have complained for three years about hundreds of civilians killed by US troops and abuses such as those highlighted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal of 2004," recent allegations of murder and rape against US troops in towns like Haditha and Mahmudiya have so inflamed the Iraqi public that the new government has felt compelled to act. The news agency reported that Mr. Maliki said "a lack of enforcement of US military law in the past had encouraged soldiers to commit crimes against Iraqi civilians."

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Reuters reports in another story that White House spokesman Tony Snow dismissed Maliki's comments, calling them a "hypothetical game."

He added, "We also understand Prime Minister Maliki's concerns and we want to make sure he's fully informed and also that he is satisfied, regardless of what the treaty situation may be on these issues, that justice truly is being done, and that he can make that demonstration to his people as well."

The Los Angeles Times reports that Monday the US military identified the five soldiers charged in connection with the rape and murder of a 14-year old Iraqi girl and three members of her family.

At a news conference, Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV said two sergeants were among the soldiers facing charges. The military identified the soldiers as Sgt. Paul E. Cortez, Sgt. Anthony W. Yribe, Spc. James P. Barker, Pfc. Jesse V. Spielman and Pfc. Bryan L. Howard. Yribe is charged with dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to report the attack. The others face rape and murder charges. They will all face the equivalent of a military grand jury to determine whether they should be tried.

Stephen Green, a former US soldier, was charged last week with one count of rape and four of murder. He is being held without bail. Reuters offers a factbox with the details of the case as is known so far.

The Associated Press reports that an institute which monitors terrorist websites says an Al Qaeda-linked group released a video that showed the mutilated bodies of two US soldiers. The group kidnapped the two soldiers last month. A third soldier was killed during the incident. The video included a claim that the two troops had been killed because of the rape and murders in Mahmudiya.

According to the [Washington-based, independent] SITE Institute, the statement by the insurgents said that as soon as fighters heard of the rape-slaying, "they kept their anger to themselves and didn't spread the news. They decided to take revenge for their sister's honor," the statement said. "With Allah's help, they captured two soldiers of the same brigade as this dirty crusader."

The Mujahedeen Shura Council is an umbrella organization of several Islamic extremist groups, including Al Qaeda in Iraq. It claimed responsibility for shooting down a US Apache helicopter in the Youssifiyah area in April. US investigators had said there was no evidence linking the deaths of the three soldiers last month to the alleged rape-slaying.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the US military condemned the video, saying "It demonstrates the barbaric and brutal nature of the terrorists and their complete disregard for human life."

But as bad as the news coming out of Iraq may be, it could be worse, according to Rod Nordland, who served as Newsweek's Baghdad bureau chief for two years. In an interview last week with Foreign Policy magazine, Mr. Nordland talked about how information and news were handled in Iraq.

It's a lot worse over here [in Iraq] than is reported. The administration does a great job of managing the news. Just an example: There was a press conference here about [Abu Musab al-] Zarqawi's death, and somebody asked what role [US] Special Forces played in finding Zarqawi. [The official] either denied any role or didn't answer the question. Somebody pointed out that the president, half an hour earlier, had already acknowledged and thanked the Special Forces for their involvement. They are just not giving very much information here.

Nordland also told the magazine that while it's hard to hide things like "living conditions have gotten so much worse, violence is at an even higher tempo, and the country is on the verge of civil war," the administration has been successful because "most Americans are not aware of just how dire it is and how little progress has been made." Nordland said "it was not true" that the Iraqi army is performing better and is ready to take over more responsibilities. Nordland also alleges that some embedded reporters have been "blacklisted" by the military because it was "unhappy with their work."

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Feedback appreciated. E-mail Tom Regan.