Marines allegedly kill 24 Civlilians

[_TheSaint_]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/3916264.html

Findings counter claims by Marines

Death records showed all the Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha had been shot

New York Times

WASHINGTON - A military investigator uncovered evidence in February and March that contradicted repeated claims by Marines that Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha last November had been the victims of a roadside bomb, according to a senior military official in Iraq.

Among the evidence that conflicted with the Marines' story were death certificates that showed all the victims had gunshot wounds, mostly to the head and chest, the official said.

The inquiry, being led by Col. Gregory Watt, an Army officer in Baghdad, was the first official investigation into an episode first uncovered by Time magazine in January and that American military officials now say appears to have been an unprovoked attack by the Marines that killed 24 Iraqi civilians. The results of Watt's investigation have not previously been disclosed.

When Watt described the findings on March 9 to Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, senior ground commander in Iraq, it raised enough questions about the Marines' veracity that Chiarelli referred the matter to the senior Marine commander, who ordered a criminal investigation.

The findings by Watt also prompted Chiarelli to order a parallel investigation into whether senior Marine officers and enlisted personnel had engaged in a cover-up.

Watt's inquiry included interviews with Marines believed to be involved in the killings as well as with senior officers in the unit.

In their accounts to Watt, the Marines said they took gunfire from the first of five residences they entered near the bomb site, the senior military official said.

The official also said the Marines had recalled hearing "a weapon being prepared to be used against them."

Watt also reviewed payments totaling $38,000 in cash made to families of victims.

In an interview Tuesday, Maj. Dana Hyatt, the officer who made the payments, said he was told by superiors to compensate the relatives of 15 victims, but was told that the rest of those killed had been deemed to have committed hostile acts, leaving their families ineligible for compensation.

Chiarelli, an Army officer who had taken over command of American ground forces in Iraq in January, learned then that the Marines had not conducted an inquiry into the incident only after the Time magazine findings appeared the same month.

Iraq's new prime minister, meanwhile, said Tuesday his patience was wearing thin with excuses from U.S. troops that they kill civilians "by mistake" and suggested Iraq may seek to punish those culpable of wrongdoing in Haditha, Reuters reported.

"Yes, a mistake may happen, but there is an acceptable limit to mistakes," Nouri al-Maliki said. "We will ask for answers not only about Haditha but about any operation ... in which killing happened by mistake and we will hold those who did it responsible."

This just proves that the Marines in Iraq are not helping out the situation. They should retreat to Kuwait or somewhere and let the civil war take place. If things get outta hand then they can step back in. Killings like this are just going to ruin the soldiers lives as well as the families involved and completely ruin any cooperation that they might have recieved from locals. How many more "terrorists" did this create? You can be if they did this to my family I'd be one of them. Iraq is a job for the UN at this point rather than the US armed forces because at least then no single country is to blame. The US motto in Iraq should be "winning the hearts and minds of Iraqis...by splattering them all over the streets".

Don't believe me?  Here's the latest.....Marines shot and killed two women including one pregnant lady on the way to the hospital to give birth......

www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/31/iraq.main/index.html

 

[meni0n]

Excellent armchairing there. Keep it up, maybe you should apply to be a UN ambassador. *sarcasm off*

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

I rarely engage in personal repartee here, but you are an idiot aren't you...?

This incident is under investigation and the truth will doubtless come out.  Until then, drawing conclusions is a dangerous and foolhardy thing to do.  However, given your posting history, I shouldn't be surprised that you've chosen this path.

 

[GAP]

Strange   ???  I don't see any of your posts telling us about any of the thousands of good things the marines have done for the Iraq people.

One group, one situation, one time....wasn't there something going around awhile back about people living in glass houses?

As for the pregnant women shot in error, I noticed you left out that they went through checkpoints, ignored warnings, etc. or don't those count when you have a point to make?

 

[the 48th regulator]

_TheSaint_

If you are trolling for a mix up, cease and desist.

I guess you have not learned from your, recently lifted, warning.  You will not be asked again, but will be continued up the warning ladder.

Locked until future developments.

dileas

tess

 

[George Wallace]

Here's to you Saint........

 

[the 48th regulator]

Unlocked,

And keep it civil.

dileas

tess

 

[GAP]

You mean...play nice?  :crybaby:

 

[George Wallace]

Thanks!

 

[George Wallace]

Thanks again!

 

[George Wallace]

School days.....

 

[_TheSaint_]

Take it easy peoples. This is just my opinion. If civilians are getting killed regularly, how is that going to win "hearts and minds" in Iraq? I'm not talking about Afghanistan, where the situation is different. So separate the two please- I support our efforts there. In Iraq, however, Marines are making the situation worse.

Please tell me what would be wrong with a redeployment out of Iraq and then wait to see if the Iraqi government can fight on its own? How is having Marines accidentally shooting innocents helping their cause?

 

[GAP]

If civilians are getting killed regularly

??? I think you are just  :brickwall:

You have a message you want to flog and commonsense and facts ARE NOT going to get in your way!!

 

[_TheSaint_]

Thanks again!

No offense but I've been to third world countries and ANYONE is happy to be in a picture. I'm sure I could find some equal and opposite pictures of Haditha victims which might add some irony to those. Here's one....

 

[George Wallace]

Here's another:

 

[_TheSaint_]

Well if we forget the larger picture for a moment, and focus on the individuals, according to that report, the victims had gunshot wounds to the head in many cases. Either these guys were good shots or this was close up execution. That being the case, I think there should be no leniency- murder is murder whether you're in the Army or not.

If you want to just ignore this event, or worse, cover it up because of the fact that it paints a bad picture of Marines- just remember what happened to a fine Regiment in Canada after the Somalia affair. Because the government tried to cover it up, and because of the secrecy the Airborne had to stand down. Had all the facts been given straight then there would still be an Airborne today.

 

[George Wallace]

Wow!

Are you ever out in 'Left Field'.  Well, probably lost out in the woods.  You really don't have a clue.  Back to the Marines.  You seem to think the US military is a bunch of 'Baby Killing Automatons".  You are giving us quite an impression of what kind of narrow minded person you are.  How can you go through life without an unbiased, informed look at it and all its' splendors.  The Americans are a very devote people too, so don't think that you have a monopoly on "justice and the good of man"

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

so don't think that you have a monopoly on "justice and the good of man"

C'mon, George, maybe he does...he's a "Saint" after all... Heh...

 

[George Wallace]

More from Iraq (not Afghanistan).

 

[_TheSaint_]

Wow!

Are you ever out in 'Left Field'.  Well, probably lost out in the woods.  You really don't have a clue.  Back to the Marines.  You seem to think the US military is a bunch of 'Baby Killing Automatons".  

No, I believe THIS ONE UNIT might be a bunch of "baby killing automatons" or at least have some serious mental cases. The facts will come out soon enough but since prominent ex-military members like Rep Murtha are already calling it a massacre tells me the way this is likely to go. Why would you support murder? Just because you are a military member doesn't mean you have to take sides with the crazies. There's crazies in all walks of life and some get into the military. Some are even Officers, and can shape young minds so that events like this take place. If this does turn out to be a real massacre, they better look and see who's at the top of the food chain there.