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Haditha massacre

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Haditha killings
A picture taken at the scene of the Haditha killings shows several dead Iraqis who were killed by Marines

The Haditha killings (also called the Haditha incident or the Haditha massacre) refers to the incident in which 24 unarmed Iraqi men, women and children were killed by a group of United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi (WP) province of Al Anbar. All those killed were civilians.[1] It has been alleged that the killings were retribution for the attack on a convoy of Marines with an Wikipedia:improvised explosive device that killed Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas.[2]

An initial Marine Corps communique reported that 15 civilians were killed by the bomb's blast and eight insurgents were subsequently killed when the Marines returned fire against those attacking the convoy. However, other evidence uncovered by the media contradicted the Marines' account.[3] A Wikipedia:Time magazine reporter's questions prompted the Wikipedia:United States military to open an investigation into the incident. The investigation claimed it found evidence that "supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot civilians, including unarmed men, women and children", according to an anonymous Pentagon official.[4] On December 21, 2006, eight Marines from Wikipedia:3rd Battalion, 1st Marines were charged in connection with the incident.[5][6] As of June 2008, charges against seven of the eight Marines had been dropped.[7]

In the course of the Wikipedia:Article 32 hearings, conflicting testimony was presented, some of it rebutting the media-cited case made by accusers and prosecutors of the Marines. At one point in the hearings, the investigating officer told prosecution lawyers, "The account you want me to believe does not support unpremeditated murder." He conceded that the central issue was who is to be believed and that he was disinclined to recommend a trial when he thought it was unlikely any Iraqi would agree to come to the U.S. to testify.[8] On August 9, Lt. Gen. Wikipedia:James Mattis dropped the charges against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, who has been accused of murder, and against Capt. Randy Stone, accused of failing to investigate the incident.[9] On August 23, the investigating officer recommended charges against Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum be dropped as well[10] but on October 19, his commanding officer decided the charges should be lowered to involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.[11]

On October 3, 2007, the Wikipedia:Article 32 hearing investigating officer recommended that Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich be tried for Wikipedia:negligent homicide in the deaths of two women and five children, and that charges of murder be dropped.[12] As of June 17, 2008, six defendants have had their cases dropped and one was found not guilty. The exception is former SSgt. Wuterich, who pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty on January 23, 2012. Charges of assault and manslaughter were dropped, and sentencing is expected on Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012. Wuterich received a rank reduction and pay cut but avoided jail time.[13][14] At least three officers have been officially reprimanded for failing to properly initially report and investigate the killings. Incidents such as these have been claimed to be one of the main reasons that U.S troops left Iraq at the end of 2011.[15][16][17]In 2011 the New York Times found secret transcripts of military interviews from the investigation into the Haditha killings. In these interviews Marines described killing civilians on a regular basis and one sergeant testified that he would order his men to shoot children in vehicles that failed to stop at military checkpoints.[18]

A news reporter's investigation of the incident was prompted by unusual aspects of the aftermath scene, such as photos of victims in sleepwear, and blood-spattered house interiors, and subsequently, discrepancies between the official account and this evidence. Trials of the marines involved concluded with the final marine being released on no charges.[19]

The intentional killing of Wikipedia:civilians, or indeed of any unarmed people, is prohibited by modern Wikipedia:laws of war derived from the Wikipedia:UN Charter, the Wikipedia:Hague Conventions and the Wikipedia:Geneva Conventions, and constitutes a Wikipedia:war crime. Due to the Wikipedia:Status of Forces Agreement with the Government of Iraq, the troops were not subject to Iraqi law. Many news reports compare the Haditha Killings to the Wikipedia:My Lai Massacre. In an interview with Wikipedia:Michael Sallah (who won the Wikipedia:Pulitzer Prize for his work on My Lai), the reporter says that "you would have difficulties finding a single newspaper in Germany or elsewhere in Europe which does not deal with My Lai, Abu Ghraib and Haditha in the same commentary."[20] [21] The massacre is called the "Haditha killings" on Wikipedia.

The US Army announced that coalition troops in Iraq were to undergo ethics training following the incident in Haditha. BBC analyst Ian Pannell suggested the move is likely to be greeted with cynicism by many Iraqis, as, according to Iraqi eyewitness accounts, the troops have long been deliberately targeting civilians.[22]


This article contains content from Wikipedia. Current versions of the GNU FDL article Haditha killings on WP may contain information useful to the improvement of this article WP

Events[edit]

Background[edit]

Since the Wikipedia:2003 invasion of Iraq, Wikipedia:U.S. military forces had been stationed in and around Haditha to control the Wikipedia:Haditha Dam, a major Wikipedia:hydroelectric installation. The area had seen several clashes between U.S. forces and Wikipedia:insurgent groups since the beginning of the Iraq War with many fatalities on both sides.[23][24][25]

A contemporary Time magazine poll reported that 85% of Iraq's Wikipedia:Sunnis opposed coalition forces, as compared to 65% of Iraqis overall.[26]

Conditions in Haditha itself were known to have been deteriorating under militant rule, and attacks on U.S. troops as well as executions of suspected Wikipedia:informants were common.[27]

Roadside bombing[edit]

On November 19, 2005 an improvised explosive device (I.E.D.), composed of 155mm artillery shells and explosives-filled propane tanks, was placed underneath asphalt some time before 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1) arrived in Haditha. The I.E.D. targeted a squad from 3/1 Kilo Company, 3rd Platoon while on a resupply convoy. Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas was killed instantly at 7:15 AM. Lance Corporal Terrazas was driving the Wikipedia:Humvee which was hit by the bomb. Lance Corporal James Crossan was in the passenger seat of the Humvee and was thrown out of the vehicle and trapped under the rear passenger tire. The Humvee was split in half. Private First Class Salvador Guzman was in the back of the vehicle conducting security for the convoy and was thrown from the Humvee. Both Crossan and Guzman were taken to a Landing Zone to be picked up by helicopter and sent to get further medical attention. Guzman returned to active duty once his wounds healed and went on a 2nd deployment with 3/1 to Iraq in April 2007. Crossan was medically discharged from the United States Marine Corps due to the severe wounds he received on November 19, 2005.

Killings and immediate aftermath[edit]

Deaths and injuries of Iraqis in Haditha
House #1—7 killed, 2 injured (but survived), 2 escaped
1. Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali, 76—grandfather, father and husband. Died with nine rounds in the chest and abdomen.
2. Khamisa Tuma Ali, 66—wife of Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali
3. Rashid Abdul Hamid, 30.
4. Walid Abdul Hamid Hassan, 35.
5. Jahid Abdul Hamid Hassan, middle-aged man.
6. Asma Salman Rasif, 32.
7. Abdullah Walid, 4.
Injured: Iman, 8, and Abdul Rahman, 5.
Escaped: Daughter-in-law, Hiba, escaped with 2-month-old Asia
House #2—8 killed, 1 survivor: Shot at close range and attacked with grenades
8. Younis Salim Khafif, 43—husband of Aida Yasin Ahmed, father.
9. Aida Yasin Ahmed, 41—wife of Younis Salim Khafif, killed trying to shield her youngest daughter Aisha.
10. Muhammad Younis Salim, 8—son.
11. Noor Younis Salim, 14—daughter.
12. Sabaa Younis Salim, 10—daughter.
13. Zainab Younis Salim, 5—daughter.
14. Aisha Younis Salim, 3—daughter.
15. A 1-year-old girl staying with the family.
Survived: Safa Younis Salim, 13.
House #3—4 brothers killed
16. Jamal Ahmed, 41.
17. Marwan Ahmed, 28.
18. Qahtan Ahmed, 24.
19. Chasib Ahmed, 27.
Taxi—5 killed: Passengers were students at the Technical Institute in Saqlawiyah
20. Ahmed Khidher, taxi driver.
21. Akram Hamid Flayeh.
22. Khalid Ayada al-Zawi.
23. Wajdi Ayada al-Zawi.
24. Mohammed Battal Mahmoud.
Source: United for Peace and Justice[28]

Five Iraqi men, a taxi driver and four teenagers, were ordered out of their car and shot dead in the street, principally by Staff Sgt. Wikipedia:Frank Wuterich. After their deaths, Lt. William T. Kallop, according to his statements to investigators, arrived on the scene. Kallop and others report receiving small-arms fire, which they attributed to a nearby house. Kallop gave the order "to take the house."[29] Nineteen of those killed were in three adjacent houses which U.S. Marines entered, throwing in grenades and shooting with automatic rifles.[30] According to Kallop,

"The Marines cleared it the way they had been trained to clear it, which is frags first. … It was clear just by the looks of the room that frags went in and then the house was prepped and sprayed like with a machine gun and then they went in. And by the looks of it, they just . . . they went in, cleared the room, everybody was down."[29]

On November 20, 2005 a Marine press release from Wikipedia:Camp Blue Diamond in Wikipedia:Ramadi reported the deaths of a U.S. Marine and 15 civilians. It said that the death of the civilians was a consequence of a roadside bomb and Iraqi insurgents. The initial U.S. military statement read:

"A US marine and 15 civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb in Haditha. Immediately following the bombing, gunmen attacked the convoy with small arms fire. Iraqi army soldiers and Marines returned fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding another."[3][31]

Wikipedia:Eman Waleed, a nine-year-old child who witnessed the incident, described the U.S. Marines entering their house. She said:

"I couldn't see their faces very well - only their guns sticking in to the doorway. I watched them shoot my grandfather, first in the chest and then in the head. Then they killed my granny."[3]

The director of the local hospital in Haditha, Dr Wahid, said that the 24 bodies were brought in two American humvees to the hospital around midnight on November 19. While the Marines claim that the victims had been killed by shrapnel from the roadside bomb and that the men "were saboteurs", Dr Wahid said that there were "no organs slashed by shrapnel in any of the bodies". He further claimed that it appeared that "the victims were shot in the head and chest from close range."[3]

Soon after the killings, the mayor of Haditha, Emad Jawad Hamza, led an angry delegation of elders up to the Haditha Dam Marine base allegedly complaining to the base captain.[3]

The Marine Corps paid $38,000 to the families of 15 of the dead civilians.[32]

Evidence about the killings[edit]

Video shot by the co-founder of the Hammurabi Human Rights Group, Wikipedia:Taher Thabet, which instigated Tim McGirk's original Time magazine article, and cellphone photos reportedly taken by one of the Marines[33] the day after the killings have been put forth as evidence that the killings were methodical and without resistance.[3][34] In particular, the video shot by Thabet shows the bodies of the children and women with gunshot wounds, bullet holes in the interior walls of the house, and bloodstains on the floor. Insufficient evidence has come to light to account for insurgents hiding in the houses that first came under attack.

the only AK-47 that was discovered that day—apparently a household defensive weapon, of the type that is legal and common in Iraq. No one has claimed that the rifle had been fired.--William Langewiesche in Rules of Engagement, Vanity Fair, November 2006

McGirk's first article online stated that the Hammurabi Human Rights Group had "coordinated with Wikipedia:Human Rights Watch". A correction was issued when no official links could be confirmed.[3] McGirk, who is based in Jerusalem, declined to testify at the hearings.[35]

Legal proceedings[edit]

The intentional killing of noncombatants is prohibited by modern Wikipedia:laws of war derived from the Wikipedia:UN Charter, the Hague Conventions and the Wikipedia:Geneva Conventions, and constitutes a Wikipedia:war crime. The Marines and officers are subject to possible courts martial under American military law, the Wikipedia:Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Investigations[edit]

On February 14, 2006, a preliminary investigation was ordered by Lt. Gen. Wikipedia:Peter W. Chiarelli, after video evidence which conflicted with the initial U.S. report was released. On March 9, a criminal investigation was launched, led by the Wikipedia:Naval Criminal Investigative Service, to determine if the troops deliberately targeted Iraqi civilians.[31]

On March 19, 2006, U.S. military officials confirmed that contrary to the initial report, U.S. Marines, not Iraqi insurgents, killed 15 civilians.

Several official investigations began. The first, under Wikipedia:United States Army Maj. Gen. Wikipedia:Eldon Bargewell, looked into how the incident was reported through the chain of command. A second investigation, headed by the Wikipedia:Naval Criminal Investigative Service, looked into the criminal aspects of the incident.[36] A third investigation was launched by the Wikipedia:Iraqi government. The conduct of Staff Sergeant Wikipedia:Frank Wuterich, the squad leader, came under scrutiny.

On June 2, 2006, news outlets reported that 24 Iraqis had been killed, none as a result of the bomb explosion.[37] This news anticipated the results of the U.S. military investigation, which found that the 24 unarmed Iraqis—including children as young as two years old and women[38]—were killed by 12 members of Kilo Company in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.[39]

Wikipedia:The Times published the result of the first investigation, under U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Wikipedia:Eldon Bargewell, along with interviews with eye witnesses. It noted that the "official investigation has already resulted in the removal of Lieutenant Colonel Wikipedia:Jeffrey Chessani, the commanding officer, and Captain Wikipedia:Luke McConnell and Captain Wikipedia:James Kimber, two company commanders, from their duties. Bargewell's investigation found that:

"Statements made by the chain of command during interviews for this investigation, taken as a whole, suggest that Iraqi civilian lives are not as important as U.S. lives, their deaths are just the cost of doing business, and that the Marines need to get 'the job done' no matter what it takes. These comments had the potential to desensitize the Marines to concern for the Iraqi populace and portray them all as the enemy even if they are noncombatants."[40]

On June 1, 2006, the Wikipedia:Associated Press also reported that the Iraqi government decided to launch its own probe into the alleged killing of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines in the previous year. Adnan al-Kazimi, an adviser to Prime Minister Wikipedia:Nouri al-Maliki, said the decision was made during a Cabinet meeting. The probe was to be carried out by a special committee made up of the Justice and Human Rights ministries, along with security officials.

The U.S. Marines investigation has avoided public pronouncements. Nevertheless, on June 17, 2006, the Wikipedia:New York Times reported that "Investigators have also concluded that most of the victims in three houses died from well-aimed rifle shots, not shrapnel or random fire, according to military officials familiar with the initial findings."[41] Many of those killed have wounds from close-range fire, and their death certificates record "well-aimed shots to the head and chest" as the cause of death.[41]

Charges leveled[edit]

On December 21, 2006, the U.S. military charged eight Marines in connection with the Haditha incident.[6] Four of the eight, Wikipedia:Frank Wuterich, Wikipedia:Sanick de la Cruz, Wikipedia:Justin Sharratt and Wikipedia:Stephen Tatum, were accused of unpremeditated murder.[42] Tatum was further charged with Wikipedia:negligent homicide and Wikipedia:assault, while de la Cruz was also charged with making a false statement. Squad leader Frank Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others."[43] The battalion commander, Wikipedia:Jeffrey Chessani, was charged with one count of violating a lawful order and two counts of Wikipedia:dereliction of duty. Wikipedia:First Lieutenant Andrew Grayson was charged with Wikipedia:obstruction of justice, dereliction of duty, and making a false statement, while Captain Randy Stone and Captain Lucas McConnell were charged with dereliction of duty. Stone also faced an additional count of violating a lawful order.[42] All charges against Stone were later dropped.[44] Grayson was acquitted on all counts.[45]

Pre-trial hearings[edit]

Testimony in an Wikipedia:Article 32 investigation for Capt. Randy W. Stone, equivalent to a civilian Wikipedia:grand jury proceeding, began on May 8, 2007. At the hearing, Marine Lt. William Kallop, the platoon commander who ordered Marines to "clear" four houses, testified that the rules of engagement were followed and that no mistakes had been made. He stated that a Marine on the scene had reported seeing a suspected insurgent in the vicinity. Kallop also believed that small arms fire was being directed from the first house attacked by the Marines.[46]

On May 9, Sergeant Sanick De la Cruz, who received immunity in return for testimony, testified that he watched Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich shoot five Iraqis who were attempting to surrender. Cruz further testified that both he and Wuterich fired into the bodies of the five after they were dead, and that he had urinated on one of the dead Iraqis.[47][48] thumb|right|300px|Several victims lying on the ground

No weapons were found in the white taxi.[49]

The US military has attempted to subpoena material from a Wikipedia:60 Minutes interview with Staff Sergeant Wuterich, specifically material where Wuterich admits to ordering his men to "shoot first and ask questions later."[50] The interview includes Wuterich insisting he perceived a threat from house 1 but saw no gun fire from that house and that he saw no insurgent enter that house. He suggests he saw the dead family in house 1 and proceeded to assault house 2 based on a guess that the gunman may have entered that house. The Marines knocked on the door of house 2 and when someone came to answer they fired through the door killing what they saw to be an unarmed man. They then assaulted the house and killed the family inside. Wuterich believes now that there was probably no threat to begin with.[51]

The Article 32 investigation recommended Capt. Randy W. Stone's criminal charge be dismissed, but that he face a new lesser charge that would be handled administratively for failing to investigate the incident properly.[52] The charges against Stone were dropped on August 9.[9]

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani was recommended to face court-martial for having "failed to thoroughly and accurately report and investigate a combat action that clearly needed scrutiny."[53] On June 17, 2008 Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom dismissed all charges against Lt Colonel Jeffrey Chessani on the grounds that General Wikipedia:James Mattis, who approved the filing of charges against Chessani, was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the incident. The ruling was without prejudice, which allows the prosecution to refile.[54]

Lt. Col. Paul Ware, the Inspecting Officer for several of the enlisted Marines, recommended on July 11, 2007 that LCpl. Justin Sharratt be cleared of these charges. Ware stated, "[t]he government version is unsupported by independent evidence... To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary."[55] The charges against Sharratt were dropped on August 9.[9]

Article 32 hearings for LCpl. Stephen Tatum began July 16, and for SSgt. Frank Wuterich begins in August.[56] The investigating officer recommended charges be dropped against Tatum.[10]

Charges dropped[edit]

On April 17, 2007, the Marine Corps dropped all charges against Sgt. Sanick P. De la Cruz in exchange for his testimony. Seven other Marines involved in the incident have also been granted immunity.[57]

On August 9, 2007, all charges against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt and Capt. Randy Stone were dropped.[44] On October 19, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt's commanding officer decided the charges should be lowered to involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.[11]

On September 18, 2007, all charges against Captain Lucas McConnell were dropped in exchange for immunity and his cooperation with the investigation.[58]

On March 28, 2008, all charges against LCpl. Stephen Tatum were dropped.[59]

On June 17, 2008, all charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani were dismissed by the military judge citing unlawful command influence.[60] The Marine Corps appealed that ruling in 2008.[61] On March 17, 2009, a military appeals court upheld the dismissal of the war crimes charges against Chessani.[62] Facing an administrative Board of Inquiry, it also found no misconduct and recommended that Chessani be allowed to retire without loss of rank.[63]

On June 5, 2008, 1stLt Andrew Grayson was acquitted of all charges stemming from the Haditha incident. He had been charged with deleting photos of the deceased Iraqis in order to obstruct the investigation. He had also been charged with failing to notify the Marine Corps administrative chain of command of his legal status when his term of service was expired and he was discharged from the Marine Corps. [64]

Trial 2012[edit]

During the trial Sgt. Sanick Dela Cruz testified that he urinated on the skull of one of the dead Iraqis.[65] He also testified after describing how Wuterich shot the passengers of the car himself from close range ,"Sergeant Wuterich approached me and told me if anyone asks, the Iraqis were running away from the car and the Iraqi army shot them,".[66]

Reaction[edit]

According to Wikipedia:Sidney Blumenthal in a Wikipedia:Salon Magazine article,
"The coverup at Haditha reportedly began instantly. However, an Iraqi journalism student shot a video the day after of the bloodstained and bullet-riddled houses where the massacre had occurred. That video made its way to an Iraqi human rights group and finally to Tim McGirk, a correspondent from Time magazine. When Time made its first queries, the Marine spokesman, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool, who had issued the first statement on Haditha as an action against terrorists months earlier, told reporters that they were falling for al-Qaida propaganda. 'I cannot believe you're buying any of this,'[67] he wrote in an e-mail. Nonetheless, word reached Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Iraq, that there had been no investigation and he ordered one immediately."

According to the Wikipedia:Los Angeles Times, military and congressional sources distinguished between two squads: the original Marine squad involved in the explosion and shootings, and a Marine intelligence squad that took photos shortly after the shootings. According to LA Times sources, no investigation occurred until after a March 2006 Time magazine story alleging a massacre, even though the intelligence squad's photos were inconsistent with the Marine squad's report of a firefight. According to the Time story, military officials blamed the delay of the investigation on the Marine squad's efforts to cover up the events:

"Military officials say they believe the delay in beginning the investigation was a result of the squad's initial efforts to cover up what happened."

However, both military and congressional sources said that the "intelligence team" that took photos after the firefight did not appear to participate in any improper action:

"...[m]ilitary and congressional sources said there was no indication that the members of the intelligence team did anything improper or delayed reporting their findings."

The same LA Times story quoted Republican Representative John Kline of Wikipedia:Minnesota as follows:

"There is no question that the Marines involved, those doing the shooting, they were busy in lying about it and covering it up — there is no question about it. But I am confident, as soon as the command learned there might be some truth to this, they started to pursue it vigorously. I don't have any reason now to think there was any foot dragging."[34]

In June 2006, Wikipedia:Iraqi Prime Minister Wikipedia:Nouri al-Maliki condemned the killings and called for a swift investigation, saying: "The crime and misery of Haditha ... is a terrible crime where women and children were eliminated."[68]

Wikipedia:John Dickerson and Wikipedia:Dahlia Lithwick of Slate suggested that the Iraqis should be able to put the Marines on trial even though 85% of Iraqi Sunnis opposed coalition forces:[26]

"Let's let the Iraqis put the Americans alleged to have committed these crimes on trial. The United States wants to encourage the fledgling Iraqi institution of democracy, right? That's why we wanted Saddam tried in Iraq, and through the Iraqi judicial system--both to build up its legitimacy and to give Iraqis the sense of ownership that comes with having control over the legal process. Why, then, shouldn't we also turn over our own soldiers who were involved in either the Haditha massacre or any of the other possible massacres for trial under the Iraqi justice system?"[69]

News website Wikipedia:NewsMax suggested that the killings were not "unprovoked", and could have been "staged", and called Haditha "a hotbed of insurgent activity":

"Plainly, not all the residents of this terrorist hotbed were as innocent as Marine media critics are now claiming." [70]

Comments by Representative Murtha[edit]

On May 17, 2006, Democratic Representative Wikipedia:John Murtha of Wikipedia:Pennsylvania, a retired Marine colonel and critic of the war, stated at a news conference that an internal investigation had confirmed the story.[71][72][73] He was quoted as saying:

"There was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."[74]

On August 2, 2006, Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Frank D. Wuterich, who led the accused squad, filed suit for libel and invasion of privacy. The filing stated Murtha "tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops 'killed innocent civilians in cold blood.' Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was 'covered up.' "[75] As of June 2008, Wuterich was charged with nine counts of manslaughter. Wuterich's lawsuit was dismissed in 2009.[76]

On September 25, 2008 former Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, one of the Marines exonerated in the hearings, filed a slander suit against Rep. Murtha. The lawsuit states that "Sharratt, in being labeled repeatedly by Murtha as a 'cold-blooded murderer,' and by Murtha outrageously claiming that the Haditha incident was comparable to the infamous (My Lai) massacre of Vietnam, has suffered permanent, irreversible damage to his reputation."[77]

Comparisons with My Lai massacre and other incidents[edit]

Many news reports have compared the Haditha Killings to the Wikipedia:My Lai massacre during the Wikipedia:Vietnam War, with some commentators describing it as "Bush's My Lai,"[78][79] or "Iraq's My Lai."[80] Very often, the killings have been described as part of a wider pattern of perceived human rights abuses committed by coalition forces in Iraq. As a Spiegel reporter notes in an interview with Wikipedia:Michael Sallah, who won a Wikipedia:Pulitzer Prize for his investigation of atrocities committed by the Wikipedia:Tiger Force unit in Vietnam,[81] "you would have difficulties finding a single newspaper in Wikipedia:Germany, or elsewhere in Wikipedia:Europe, that does not deal with My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and Haditha in the same commentary."[82] It is suggested that the Haditha killings may, like the My Lai Massacre, result in further reduction of American public support for the conflict.[79] Some reject that comparison, including Wikipedia:Christopher Hitchens, who has written that "all the glib talk about My Lai is so much propaganda and hot air."[83] The killings have also been compared to killings in Afghanistan, particularly the Wikipedia:2007 Shinwar shooting.

The most frequent parallel drawn between the execution of 504 Vietnamese villagers at My Lai and the two dozen Iraqis killed in Haditha is the military instinct to cover-up and whitewash civilian deaths. Martin Shaw pointed out on the analysis website OpenDemocracy [84], that of the 22 officers put on trial for the My Lai massacre, all were acquitted except for Lieutenant William Calley, who served only three and a half years of his life sentence. Professor Shaw observed that "in the few cases in which soldiers have been accused over atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan, convictions have been few and far between."

Comparisons have also been made to the case of Wikipedia:Ilario Pantano, who was initially charged with premeditated murder in Iraq but this was dropped after it was determined there was no credible evidence or testimony. Pantano himself has spoken out in defense of the "Haditha Marines," objecting to the "rush to judgement."[85]

Interviews conducted by Wikipedia:The Nation revealed the following about Iraqi civilian deaths:
"Some participated in such killings; others treated or investigated civilian casualties after the fact. Many also heard such stories, in detail, from members of their unit. The soldiers, sailors and Marines emphasized that not all troops took part in indiscriminate killings. Many said that these acts were perpetrated by a minority. But they nevertheless described such acts as common and said they often go unreported - and almost always go unpunished.[86]"

Allegations of investigative failures[edit]

Family, friends, defense lawyers and conservative talk radio host Michael Savage have openly criticized the Wikipedia:Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for its role in this case. They highlight the recent string of immunities granted as a sign of possible NCIS bungling.[87] Others have lambasted the NCIS for being slow to act. In mid-December 2011, 400 pages of classified notes from top-secret interviews with US soldiers about the 2005 killing of 24 civilians in Haditha were discovered in a dump on the outskirts of Baghdad [88]. This happened despite the fact that Wuterich's military trial was postponed until 2012 and this evidence might be pertinent. Journalist Michael Schmidt from the New York Times reported about the top-secret cache and Iraqi contractors' blunders the week that American troops were scheduled to depart from Iraq. The Washington Post published NCIS photographs of the aftermath of the notorious incident. [89]

Iraqi people[edit]

Iraqis expressed disbelief and voiced outrage after the six-year US military prosecution ended with none of the Marines sentence to jail. The Iraqi government said "The ruling does not fit the crime," and that it plans legal action on behalf of families of victims killed.[90] Survivor Awis Fahmi Hussein commented.
"I was expecting that the American judiciary would sentence this person to life in prison and that he would appear and confess in front of the whole world that he committed this crime, so that America could show itself as democratic and fair,"[91]

Youssef Ayid, who lost four brothers in the Haditha raid said. "We are sad to see the criminals escape justice,"[92] "This is an assault on humanity." said Khalid Salman, a Haditha councillor and lawyer for the victims.[93] He also said the sentence did not "mean the end" of his legal efforts. "There are orphans, widows and old people who are still suffering and hurting from that terrible massacre. ... If we find no way, we will go to the international courts,"[94]


Early developments in the story[edit]

The Haditha massacre was, in 2006, described thusly on Wikipedia:

"
A convoy of Wikipedia:United States Marines was attacked with an Wikipedia:improvised explosive device, which killed Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas. Subsequently, it is alleged, an unknown number of those Marines killed twenty-four Wikipedia:Iraqi non-combantant residents.[95]
A Marine Corps communique had initially reported that 15 civilians were killed by the bomb's blast and eight insurgents were subsequently killed when the Marines returned fire against those attacking the convoy. However, media reports have contradicted this story.[3] In March 2006, the U.S. military opened an investigation into the incident.
As of 1 June 2006, news outlets were reporting that 24 Iraqis were killed, none as a result of the bomb explosion.[96] The news comes in anticipation of the results of the military's investigation, which is said to find that the 24 unarmed Iraqis—including children as young as two years and women[97]—were killed by 12 members of Kilo Company in the 3rd Battalion, Wikipedia:1st Marine Regiment, Wikipedia:1st Marine Division.[98]
According to Wikipedia:Sidney Blumenthal in a Wikipedia:June 8 Wikipedia:2006 Wikipedia:Salon Magazine article, "The coverup at Haditha reportedly began instantly. However, an Iraqi journalism student shot a video the day after of the bloodstained and bullet-riddled houses where the massacre had occurred. That video made its way to an Iraqi human rights group and finally to a correspondent from Wikipedia:Time magazine. When Time made its first queries, the Marine spokesman, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool, who had issued the first statement on Haditha as an action against terrorists months earlier, told reporters that they were falling for al-Qaida propaganda. 'I cannot believe you're buying any of this,' he wrote in an e-mail. Nonetheless, word reached Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Iraq, that there had been no investigation and he ordered one immediately."
According to the Wikipedia:Los Angeles Times, military and congressional sources distinguished between two squads: the original Marine squad involved in the explosion and shootings, and a Marine intelligence squad that took photos shortly after the shootings. According to LA Times sources, although the intelligence squad's photos were inconsistent with the Marine squad's report of a firefight, no investigation occurred until after a March 2006 Time Magazine story alleging a massacre. According to the story, military officials blamed the delay of the investigation on the Marine squad's efforts to cover up the events:
Military officials say they believe the delay in beginning the investigation was a result of the squad's initial efforts to cover up what happened.
However, both military and congressional sources said that the intelligence team that took photos after the firefight did not appear to participate in any improper action:
[m]ilitary and congressional sources said there was no indication that the members of the intelligence team did anything improper or delayed reporting their findings.
In the same LA Times story, Republican Representative John Kline of Wikipedia:Minnesota was quoted as saying:
There is no question that the Marines involved, those doing the shooting, they were busy in lying about it and covering it up — there is no question about it. But I am confident, as soon as the command learned there might be some truth to this, they started to pursue it vigorously. I don't have any reason now to think there was any foot dragging.[34]
Photos taken by the soldiers themselves and video shot by Iraqi journalist and human-rights worker Wikipedia:Taher Thabet [99] the day after the killings have been put forth as evidence that the killings were methodical and without resistance.[3][34] The term "execution-style" has been used by US military officials to describe the killings. [71]
Subsequently Time issued a correction, saying that the existence of the photos taken by a Marine with a cell phone was not confirmed, and that Time and its reporter had not seen it nor had firsthand knowledge of it.[1]
On Wikipedia:May 17, Wikipedia:2006 Wikipedia:U.S. Congressmember Wikipedia:John Murtha, a retired Marine colonel and critic of the war, stated at a news conference that an internal investigation had confirmed the story.[71][100] [101]
On Wikipedia:May 29, Wikipedia:2006, Wikipedia:The Times published the result of its investigations and interviews with eye witnesses. It noted that the "official investigation has already resulted in the removal of Lieutenant Colonel Wikipedia:Jeffrey Chessani, the commanding officer, and Wikipedia:Captain Wikipedia:Luke McConnell and Captain Wikipedia:James Kimber, two company commanders, from their duties in the Wikipedia:3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Regiment of the Wikipedia:1st Marine Division."[102] Staff Sergeant Wikipedia:Frank Wuterich, the squad leader, is currently being investigated.
Currently several official investigations are underway. The first, under Wikipedia:US Army Maj. Gen. Wikipedia:Eldon Bargewell, is investigating how the incident was reported through the chain of command. A second investigation, headed by the Wikipedia:Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is looking into the criminal aspects of the incident, and are expected to finish their report in June.

[103] A third investigation is being launched by the Wikipedia:Iraqi government.

James Crossen, who was sitting next to Terrazas, was also injured by the roadside bomb. In an interview with Wikipedia:King5 television in Seattle, he alleged that children in the area often helped insurgents by counting vehicles in a convoy. Crossen suggests that it is likely women and children had given information about US patrols to Wikipedia:insurgents, and that this information led to the roadside bomb attack. When asked whether he had any emotion about the villagers who were killed, Crossen responded "No... Probably half of them were bad guys and you just don't know, so it really doesn't cross my mind. [...] Being so far away and it being so hot... you just lose control sort of and kind of stop caring what happened and I'm pretty sure that's what happened over there."[104]
Martin Terrazas, father of the dead Marine, has been quoted as saying that Marines his son had fought with had told him that, following the bomb explosion, the Company was attacked by insurgents who used civilians as human shields, and that the Marines had done "only what was necessary to survive."[105]
The Marines and officers are expected to face courts martial under the Wikipedia:Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is U.S. military law. Due to a Wikipedia:Status of Forces Agreement with the Government of Iraq, the troops will not be subject to Iraqi law.
"

Film[edit]

The 2007 film Battle for Haditha was based on the incident.

See also[edit]

Template:Portal box

Incidents[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Time.com
  2. U.S. military mourns 'tragic' Haditha deaths, Wikipedia:CNN. Accessed June 1, 2006.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 McGirk, Tim. Collateral Damage or Civilian Massacre in Haditha?, Time. Accessed June 1, 2006.
  4. "Evidence suggests Haditha killings deliberate: Pentagon source". Wikipedia:Associated Press. 2 August 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2006/08/02/haditha-investigation.html. </li>
  5. "Marines charged in Iraqi civilian deaths", Associated Press, December 21, 2006.
  6. 6.0 6.1 U.S. marine faces 13 Haditha murder charges, CBC. Accessed December 21, 2006.
  7. Whitcomb, Dan (2008-06-18). "Charges dropped against Marine in Haditha case". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2008-06-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20080624014039/http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080617/us_nm/usa_iraq_haditha_dc. Retrieved 2008-06-19. </li>
  8. "Hearing officer challenges Haditha prosecution". North County Times. June 15, 2007. http://nctimes.com/articles/2007/06/16/news/top_stories/1_01_090_12_00.txt. </li>
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 "General drops charges for two Marines in Haditha shootings". North County Times. August 9, 2007. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/08/09/news/breaking/1_00_908_7_07.txt. </li>
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Hearing officer recommends charges be dropped in Haditha case". North County Times. August 23, 2007. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/08/23/news/top_stories/1_00_118_23_07.txt. </li>
  11. 11.0 11.1 Carter, Chelsea J. (October 19, 2007). "Courts-Martial for 2 in Haditha Deaths". Associated Press. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hNUaTPsL6OBHarjCDUGxJ0EYsm9AD8SCLMR00. </li>
  12. Mark Walker, Officer: Drop murder charges against Haditha Marine, North County Times, October 3, 2007.
  13. Iraqi outrage over U.S. Marine's plea deal in Haditha killings
  14. [http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/us-marine-haditha-idUSTRE80M1U620120123 Jan 23, 2012
  15. "Civilian killings created insurmountable hurdle to extended U.S. troop presence in Iraq". The Washington Post. December 12, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/civilian-deaths-at-root-of-us-iraqi-disconnect/2011/12/05/gIQAuKFglO_story.html?tid=pm_pop. </li>
  16. Schmidt, Michael S. (December 14, 2011). "Marines' Haditha Interviews Found in Iraqi Junkyard". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/world/middleeast/united-states-marines-haditha-interviews-found-in-iraq-junkyard.html. </li>
  17. Censure for Haditha slayings. Al Jazeera. URL accessed on 2008-01-08.
  18. Schmidt, Michael S. (December 14, 2011). "Junkyard Gives Up Secret Accounts of Massacre in Iraq". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/world/middleeast/united-states-marines-haditha-interviews-found-in-iraq-junkyard.html?_r=1. Retrieved 18 December 2011. </li>
  19. Democracy Now!, 26th January, 2012
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  30. "They entered the house as a hostile environment. The rules of engagement permitted them to proceed their entry with hand grenades exploding and going in shooting and that’s exactly what happened." Neal Puckett (Wuterich's defense attorney), "Haditha defense lawyer says killings were legal," CNN's "American Morning," Monday June 12, 2006.
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  49. "Members of an explosive ordnance disposal team that was summoned to the scene scoured the taxi and found no weapons or evidence of bomb-making materials, the defense official said." "Officials: No Support for Marines Claims in Haditha Probe," Wikipedia:Associated Press, January 06, 2007.
  50. "Military Subpoenas CBS Haditha Video , Prosecutors: Unaired "60 Minutes" Footage Has Marine's Admission Of Crimes In Iraq Massacre," Wikipedia:CBS News.
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  64. Error on call to template:cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified
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  106. </ol>

External links[edit]