Wikinews:Briefs/January 9, 2005

January 9, 2005

The following were among the stories were making international headlines January 9, 2005:

U.S. soldier sentenced for abusing Iraqis
Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Perkins was given a six-month jail sentence as the result of two incidents a year ago where Iraqi captives were pushed into the Tigris River. He also admitted to lying to investigators when questioned about the incident.
 * Sources:Houston Chronicle, Associated Press

Generation of warfare in Sudan ends
The longest war in Africa's history came to a close after Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha and John Garang, leader of rebel fighters, signed a peace accord. The accord did not include the separate conflict in western Darfur.
 * Sources:AFP, Reuters
 * Wikinews coverage: Peace agreement signed in Sudan

Pentagon mulls use of Special Forces death squads in Iraq
A Newsweek report claims that U.S. military leaders are considering a Reagan-era "Salvador option" &mdash; the use of Special Forces soldiers for assassinations in Iraq. The idea would be to eliminate rebel leadership in an attempt to shorten the war.
 * Source:Newsweek''