ARLINGTON, Va. — A U.S. soldier shot and killed five U.S. troops Monday at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, according to Multi-National Corps¬—Iraq. The soldier reportedly opened fire at a stress clinic.
The soldier believed to be the shooter is alive and in custody, said Multi-National Corps–—Iraq spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Patterson.
The names of the five people killed in the shooting are being withheld until next of kin have been notified, a Multi-National Corps–—Iraq news release said.
The incident happened about 2 p.m. Baghdad time, Patterson said Monday. Defense officials could not confirm early Monday whether any additional troops had been wounded.
Multi-National Corps–—Iraq did not release any information about the circumstances surrounding the shooting or the identity of the soldier in custody. The incident is being investigated by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, Patterson said.
The incident occurred “in a place where individuals were seeking help,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“It does speak to me though about the need for us to redouble our efforts, the concern in terms of dealing with the stress, dealing with whole issue of those kinds of things and it also speaks to the issue of multiple deployments, increasing dwell time, all those things that we’re focused on to try to improve to try to relieve that stress,” Mullen said.
It was unclear whether the victims were workers at the clinic.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed his “horror” about the incident on Monday and vowed it would get “the department’s highest priority.”
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the shooting a “terrible tragedy,” adding that President Barack Obama was expected to meet with Gates later Monday to discuss the matter.
Monday’s attack is the deadliest attack by a U.S. servicemember on his battle buddies so far in the Iraq war.
In March 2003, Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar threw hand grenades into two tents at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, killing Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone. Akbar was convicted of murder in April 2005 and sentenced to death.
In June 2005, Army Capt. Phillip T. Esposito and 1st Lt. Louis Allen were killed by a claymore mine placed on Esposito’s office window at Forward Operating Base Danger in Tikrit, Iraq.
Army Staff Sgt. Alberto B. Martinez was charged in connection with the incident, but he was later acquitted at court-martial.
In another incident, Army Sgt. Joseph Bozicevich was charged with murder following the Sept. 14, 2008 killings of Army Sgt. Wesley Durbin and Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson at a patrol base south of Baghdad. The Army could not provide a status update on Bozicevich’s case by deadline on Monday.
