Pentagon orders probe into Fort Hood rampage

WASHINGTON (AFP) - – US Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday a thorough investigation into the Fort Hood shootings to examine if warning signs were missed and to ensure such a "tragedy" never happens again.

An army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Hasan, has been charged with the murder of 13 people in the November 5 rampage at the military base in Texas, in which 42 people were also wounded.

Gates asked former army secretary Togo West and former chief of naval operations Admiral Vernon Clark to lead a probe into possible "lapses or problems" that had raised "serious questions."

"We do not enter this process with any preconceived notions," Gates, who attended a funeral for one of the victims of the tragedy on Wednesday, told a press conference.

"However, it is prudent to determine immediately whether there are internal weaknesses or procedural shortcomings in the department that could make us vulnerable in the future."

The Fort Hood shootings came as a massive shock to a military already under severe strain from fighting wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, with the army reporting a rise in depression, suicides and marital problems.

"There is nothing any of us can say to ease the pain for the wounded, the families of the fallen and the members of the Fort Hood community touched by this incident," said Gates.

"All that is left for us to do is everything in our power to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future."

President Barack Obama has already ordered a review to look at how intelligence in the case was handled after accusations the government failed to follow up on worrying signs about Hasan.

Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday he found contacts between the alleged gunman and radical Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi "disturbing."

Asked about Holder's comment, Gates said he too viewed the communication as "disturbing" but added that "before I draw any conclusions about it, I want to find out all the facts."

The issue of Hasan's "contacts" gained fresh import this week as the Yemeni cleric who exchanged emails with him "blessed the act" and said the deadly shooting was "permissible" under Islam.

Members of Congress have launched their own investigation of the shooting and Senator Joe Lieberman on Wednesday called the assault "the most destructive terrorist attack on America since September 11, 2001."

Asked if he believed the assault was a "terrorist attack," Gates said: "I'm just not going to go there."

The secretary said he would "let the military justice system take care of it."

Gates also warned against treating whole communities with suspicion after the shooting, a reference to Hasan's Islamic identity.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed, saying the US military's strength resided in its diversity.

Mullen, who appeared along with Gates at the press conference, said that "we need to ensure that we treat everybody fairly."

The army's chief of staff, General George Casey, has acknowledged concerns that the shooting spree could trigger a backlash against some of the 3,500 Muslims serving in the armed forces.

Based on the results of the initial probe, Gates said a more in-depth review would be carried out over four to six months looking at possible "institutional shortcomings," including how health care workers are assessed and "overall stress on the troops and their families."