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Marines May Be Charged In Iraqi Civilian Deaths
Topic Started: May 27 2006, 12:57 AM (300 Views)
abuturab82
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Marines may be charged in Iraqi civilian deaths
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6052601207.html
By Will Dunham
Reuters
Friday, May 26, 2006; 3:58 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Marines could face criminal charges, possibly including murder, for their involvement in the deaths of up to two dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November, a defense official said on Friday.

A criminal probe by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which handles criminal inquiries involving Marines, has not been completed and no final decisions on charges have been made, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators were expected to call for charges including murder, negligent homicide, dereliction of duty and filing a false report.

The investigation involves a November 19 incident in Haditha, about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad. The military has said 15 civilians were killed, while a senior Republican lawmaker last week put the number at about 24.

The Los Angeles Times reported that military investigators had concluded that a dozen Marines acted improperly in an incident in which U.S. troops, after a Marine was killed by a roadside bomb, wantonly killed unarmed civilians, including women and children, and then tried to cover up the incident.

Pentagon press secretary Eric Ruff declined to comment on the findings or possible charges. Ruff said he believed investigators were "toward the end" of their probe, but added: "I don't think there's anything that's imminent."

The defense official noted that criminal investigations into deaths could lead to murder charges, but was not more specific about possible charges.

The civilian deaths came after Marine Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, of El Paso, Texas, was killed by a roadside bomb. The military initially said the blast also killed 15 civilians.

BULLET WOUNDS

A video of people killed in the incident, given to Reuters in March by Iraq's Hammurabi Organization for Monitoring Human Rights and Democracy, showed corpses lined up at the local morgue with bullet wounds in the head and chest.

The video showed houses with bullet holes in the walls, pieces of human flesh, pools of blood, and clothes and pots scattered on floors. Residents described a rampage by Marines.

The Marines involved were with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, California. The military said in April the battalion commander and two company commanders had been relieved of duty.

"The investigations are ongoing, therefore any comment at this time would be inappropriate and could undermine the investigatory and possible legal process," said Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon.

Marine Corps leaders have briefed lawmakers in recent days on the Haditha investigation and another into the role of several U.S. troops in the death of one civilian last month west of Baghdad. Lawmakers have emphasized the seriousness of the incidents.

Last week, Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and retired Marine, said of Haditha: "Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. And that's what the report is going to tell."

There are 21,000 Marines serving in Iraq in one of the most violent regions of the country; more than 700 have died since the war began in 2003.

Gen. Michael Hagee, the Marine Corps commandant, flew to Iraq on Thursday for a series of meetings with Marines to emphasize the need to follow the laws of war, the Geneva Conventions and rules of engagement set by the military.
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bluey
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Innil Lilahi wa inna ilahi rajioun.

This is so sad. More and more of our Brothers and Sisters are getting killed and tortured everday while the Ummah does nothing.

I wonder what the response to this will be from the Muslim Ummah.

They'll probably make an excuse that the soldiers were tired and had a breakdown or something.

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abuturab82
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Its not the response of the Muslim Ummah, its the response from Allah (swt) that matters, whether in this life or the next.

If nothing happens to these criminals, we shouldn't become worried or desperate because everything is ultimately in the hands of our Creator who is The Most Just.

They may escape justice in this life, but not the akhirah.

Now is a time of patience and fortitude.

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