Liberating Iraq by Raping, Killing, and Then Incinerating a Muslim Woman

So exactly where does this dreadful story fall into place in our efforts to "liberate" Iraq?

From The Times:

An influential Sunni organization in Iraq said Sunday that allegations U.S. soldiers raped an Iraqi woman, then killed her and her family were ''a sign of shame to the American invaders.''

U.S. officials have said a group of American soldiers entered the home of a Sunni family in the insurgent-ridden town of Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad, raped and killed the woman, then set fire to her body and killed three of her family members in an apparent cover-up attempt.

The Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars condemned the alleged crimes and said ''raping this girl then mutilating her is shameful and will remain as a sign of shame to American invaders.''
The allegations threaten to stoke public anger in the wake of a series of other cases of U.S. troops accused of killing and abusing Iraqi civilians, although Iraqi media have so far paid little attention to the case.

The U.S. military has stressed it is taking the allegations seriously and a criminal investigation has been launched to determine who should stand trial.

''We can't undo anything that has happened, but we can and will hold accountable anybody found guilty of offenses,'' military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said in an e-mail.
''Before that happens, we must be given time to conduct a thorough investigation into the facts of what occurred,'' he said. ''The rule of law will prevail in this incident.''

Unfortunately, investigations by the military follow a very predictable pattern which goes something like this:

1. Deny the incident ever occurred.
2. Only when the evidence becomes too great to ignore it any more they launch an investigation.
3. If a book needs to be thrown, it's always tossed at the least powerful players (a/k/a grunt soldiers) with complete exoneration of anybody with brass attached to their uniforms if not their testicles.
4. Issue a report clearing themselves of any culpability.