BAGHDAD - The United States military has ordered a court-martial for a Canadian civilian contractor charged with aggravated assault while working as an army translator in Iraq.

It's the first such military prosecution since the Vietnam War.

Alaa "Alex" Mohammad Ali, who holds dual Iraqi-Canadian citizenship, is accused of stabbing another contractor four times during a fight in February on a base near west of Baghdad.

The victim suffered chest wounds.

In 2006, Congress gave the military authority to prosecute crimes committed by civilians working for the armed forces.

A statement from the military said it is the first time a civilian will be tried by court-martial under the amendment.

Sunday's statement said Ali "is being afforded all the same rights, protections and privileges service members receive in military court, including the right to counsel, right to speedy trial, protection against self-incrimination and presumption of innocence."

Ali was being represented by military defence counsel, it added.

During the war in Vietnam, several civilians working for the U.S. armed forces were charged with violations of military law. Although there were several convictions, they were eventually struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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