The Iraqi government is calling for an independent inquiry into the rape of an Iraqi woman and the killing of her and three members of her family. The woman, Abeer Qasim Hamza, is believed to have been as young as fifteen years old. Former US soldier Steven Green was arrested for the crime on Monday. At least four active US troops are also under investigation. Military officials have said little on the case but some details of the allegations were revealed in an FBI affidavit obtained by the Washington Post. According to the document, the soldiers planned the attack after noticing Abeer Qasim Hamza at a US checkpoint in the town of Mahmudiyah. On March 12th, the soldiers disguised themselves in dark clothing and broke into her family’s home. Green then herded Hamza’s parents and young sister into a room and shot them with an AK-47 rifle. Green and another soldier then raped the woman, shot her, and set her body on fire in an apparent effort to cover up the crime. Neighbors told investigators Abeer Qasim Hamza had expressed concerns to her mother because the soldiers had made advances towards her. The military believed insurgents carried out the attack on her family until at least two soldiers discussed it during counseling sessions following the abduction and slaying of two members of their platoon. Speaking in Kuwait Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki said the case is raising questions over the immunity granted to occupying troops.

• Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki: “We believe that the immunity given to international forces is what emboldened them to commit such crimes in cold blood. This requires that such immunity should be reconsidered. We affirm that we should participate in investigating crimes committed against the Iraqi people.”

Meanwhile in Baghdad, military spokesperson Major General William Caldwell addressed the ongoing investigation.

• Major General William Caldwell: “We will face every situation honestly, we will leave no stone unturned and our pursuit of the facts and will hold our service members accountable if and when found guilty of misconduct in a court of law.”