IMPEACH BUSH

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Two US army officers were relieved of command after an investigation found that three soldiers killed by insurgents in Iraq last year were left alone for 36 hours at an undermanned and unprotected observation point, army officials said Thursday.

The June 16 attack, in which two of the soldiers were abducted and their mutilated bodies were found days later, has come under renewed scrutiny following the abduction of three other US soldiers during an insurgent attack this week.

The investigation, which was completed last year but not released until Thursday, found a string of errors that exposed the soldiers to insurgent attack near Yusufiyah.

"This was an event caused by numerous acts of complacency and a lack of standards at the platoon level," Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Daugherty, the investigating officer, wrote.

When the attack came, other soldiers heard shots and saw tracers but failed to respond quickly enough to save Specialist David Babineau, Private First Class Kristin Menchaca, and Private First Class Thomas Tucker.

Babineau was found dead at the scene, but the other two soldiers were missing. Their mutilated bodies were recovered three days later after an intensive search.

The investigation called for letters of reprimand for the company commander for not adequately supervising the platoon, and the platoon commander for failing to correct obvious mistakes or enforce minimum standards.

The army said no charges were brought under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.

"Administrative disciplinary action resulting from the investigation included relieving the platoon leader and company commander from their duties for failure to supervise and enforce standards," it said.

The soldiers' mission was to guard an armored bridging vehicle in Yusifiyah, but they were left for 36 hours on a stretch of road with only a single armored Humvee for protection.

The army field manual calls for at least four soldiers to be posted on an observation post, including a non-commissioned officer, and says that none should be there for more than two to four hours, the investigation report said.

"To expect three soldiers without NCO (non-commissioned officer) leadership to operate a functional OP for 24-36 hours is unrealistic," it said.

The report also said "force protection was minimal at best."

The soldiers' armored Humvee was parked 12 meters (yards) off the road in front of a low barrier. There were no barriers on the road to slow approaching vehicles. And neither the company nor the platoon commander analyzed the risks.

The investigation found the platoon did not plan or rehearse procedures for a quick response in support of the soldiers, who were positioned 1,300 meters from the platoon command post and 1,100 meters from a traffic checkpoint.

Soldiers at both those posts heard an explosion and small arms fire coming from the observation post when the attack began.

Minutes later, a Humvee with four soldiers left the platoon command post in response, but was stopped by what turned out to be a fake roadside bomb.

A second Humvee then left from the traffic check point, arriving on the scene 22 minutes after the first shots were heard only to find one soldier dead and two missing.

The report said it was likely that an Iraqi army unit at a bridge 900 meters away also heard the attack "but chose to not become an active participant in the attack on either side."