The Hindu : International : Soldiers sue army

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004

International

International

Soldiers sue army

By Paul Harris

NEW YORK, DEC. 7. Eight U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq launched a legal challenge yesterday to stop their tours of duty from being extended. The lawsuit is the first of its kind by a group of American soldiers on active service in the country.

The soldiers, seven of whom will remain anonymous out of fear of official retribution, are fighting against being forced to stay in their units after their period of enlistment has ended.

Service extension

This so-called ``stop loss'' policy has seen thousands of American soldiers being kept on despite having passed their official dates for retirement, leaving the military or switching to other units.

The move adds to a growing list of dissatisfactions expressed by current and former members of the military over U.S. handling of the war. They have ranged from widespread criticism over insufficient troop levels to equipment shortages and failures. The stop loss policy was introduced last spring for all soldiers posted to Iraq or Afghanistan.

It means that soldiers whose period of enlistment ends while they are on active duty cannot go home until their entire unit reaches the end of its period of service. That could mean many weeks of service for individual soldiers whose enlistments end earlier than those of their comrades.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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