Pentagon investigates 'mutiny' over safety

An alleged mutiny by 19 American troops, who refused to take part in a supply convoy in Iraq, is being investigated by the US military.

Members of the 343rd Quartermaster Company, a unit which moves water and other supplies, did not report for their assigned convoy mission on Wednesday morning. But a statement issued by the US military in Iraq called it an "isolated incident". It said the investigation would determine whether the military's strict code of conduct was violated.

Family members of those involved said security for the fuel trucks was inadequate. The Clarion-Ledger newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi, reported yesterday that soldiers from the unit, based in Tallil, refused to go on the mission because they felt they did not have an adequate armed escort.