US forces have announced their first court-martial in Baghdad after ordering a military policeman to stand trial this month for connection with abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, a senior military spokesman said Sunday.

Twenty-four-year-old Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits of Hyndman, Pennsylvania, a member of the 372nd Military Police Company, will stand trial in Baghdad on May 19, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told a press conference.

Sivits has been charged with maltreat detainees, dereliction of duty for failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty and maltreatment of detainees, said Kimmitt, the US-led coalition's deputy director for operations.

Seven US soldiers including Sivits are facing criminal charges for alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Sivits is the first for whom a trial date has been set.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2004)