Three of the four U.S. soldiers accused of smothering an Iraqi general during an interrogation last fall are facing the possibility of court-martial. That decision will be made during an Article 32 hearing _ which is similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian court _ set to begin Thursday. The soldiers could get life in prison without parole if convicted in the Nov. 26 death of Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush, 57, at Qaim, Iraq. The U.S. Army said Mowhoush died of asphyxiation from chest compression and from being smothered. Mowhoush was killed with an electrical cord, according to charging documents in the case, and a Pentagon report given to Congress in June reportedly says a soldier sat on Mowhoush as he was restrained inside a sleeping bag. Chief Warrant Officers Jefferson Williams, Sgt. 1st Class William Sommer, Spc. Jerry Loper and Lewis Welshofer Jr. are charged with murder and dereliction of duty. Welshofer's hearing will be held later, Fort Carson officials said. Williams, Sommer and Welshofer are with military intelligence and Fort Carson officials said parts of Thursday's hearing may be closed to the public. All four soldiers were assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Carson at the time of Mowhoush's death. The handling of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops has become a worldwide scandal, fed by images from the Abu Ghraib prison. At least 19 prisoner deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan have been investigated as homicides by the military; eight were determined to be justified killings of an escaping or dangerously violent prisoner.
