I thought we were better than this

The AP reports:

Soldiers in Samarra also blew up the house of Talab Saleh, who is accused of orchestrating attacks against U.S. troops, witnesses said. They said the troops arrested Saleh's wife and brother and said they would not be released until Saleh surrenders. The military had no immediate comment.

I'm pretty sure we're bound by the Geneva Convention (Article 1):

Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.  

To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:  

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;  

(b) Taking of hostages;

I'm sure some military genius running the show in Iraq thinks the arrests are helping us secure Iraq, but the law stands above even mighty U.S. military, no matter how much it hurts. We don't treat the families of even the worst murderers in the U.S. this way. It should be no different in Iraq.

The U.S. is better than this. No wonder the rest of the world has been chafing mightily as we are misled by Bush, who seems to hold even the most basic laws in contempt.