U.S. now unsure if Iraq bombers mentally handicapped

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http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSL21216032

BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. military conceded on Thursday it did not know if two women who carried out bombings in Baghdad that killed almost 100 people were mentally handicapped, casting doubt on earlier assertions.

Reports that al Qaeda was using mentally impaired women to unwittingly carry out attacks provoked widespread outrage and Washington said it proved that the militant group would stop at nothing to spread violence in Iraq.

On the day of the blasts on Feb 1., Iraqi officials said reports indicated the women had both suffered from Down's syndrome, a genetic disorder.

The U.S. military echoed those comments, saying al Qaeda militants had duped two mentally handicapped teenagers to carry bombs into packed pet markets, killing 99 civilians in the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since last April.

But in a statement to Reuters on Thursday, U.S. military spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Smith said he was unable to say for certain whether the women were actually mentally handicapped.