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| Iraq |
| Four marines singled out in Iraq massacre investigation |
| 2006-05-28 |
| A four-man team of United States Marines led the killing rampage in the Iraqi town of Haditha which resulted in the deaths of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians, military investigators believe. The troops went from house to house shooting their occupants after a roadside bomb killed one of their comrades, an internal US military report, which may be completed as early as this week, is expected to conclude. Some of the victims were killed, execution style, by shots to the head. Shock at the full extent of the killing, reported by The Sunday Telegraph last weekend, has been compounded by photographs taken by a marine intelligence team which show bullet wounds to the upper bodies of the victims, who included several women and six children, some shot in the head and some in the back. One US government official said the pictures showed that marines from Camp Pendleton "suffered a total breakdown in morality and leadership, with tragic results", according to yesterday's Los Angeles Times. The sergeant who led the unit is suspected of filing a false report that downplayed the number of casualties and claimed they were killed by an insurgent's bomb. He also allegedly said that marines burst into homes in pursuit of locals firing at them. The latest developments in the military investigation are fuelling fears in the Pentagon and White House that the US is facing a war crimes atrocity with chilling echoes of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, when marines killed 500 villagers in a retaliation attack. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #11 Zarq will recruit his minions any way he can, using whatever rhetoric works for him. The US didn't start this war. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2006-05-28 20:56 |
| #10 Cyber Sarge -- the leaks are coming from the defense counsel, just like with Abu Ghraib. Their goal is to pump up the outrage and try to frame it as a matter of policy, of "just following orders" in hopes that the succeeding administration will pardon their clients in gratitude. I dunno how much of that's exaggeration, but, damn, it fits the facts. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2006-05-28 16:29 |
| #9 should be "with impunity" |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-05-28 15:45 |
| #8 Meantime, Zarq uses all this to recruit more jihadists from SA, Syria, Jordan, etc. to kill our men and women in Iraq. The MSM is aiding the enemy in its efforts, and they do so without impunity. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-05-28 15:44 |
| #7 I don't think anyone in uniform is allowed to leak any information of an active investigation. This would lead me to believe that is coming from a civilian or civilian staffer in the chain. Until we here from a (named) JAG officer or OFFICIAL (named) spokesman, I will consider everything heresay. I am not doubting that something happened but I will wait for an official word. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2006-05-28 13:04 |
| #6 Why the Military doesn't go public, at least enough to say, "The investigation is ongoing. Several media outlets have reported distortions and lies. STFU. We'll call you when the investigation's complete and brief you. Until then, fuck off. Thank you." It would be so simple - even if prettified - and most in America would stand up and cheer. Fuck everybody else. |
| Posted by: Slolulet Sletch7958 2006-05-28 10:55 |
| #5 From Hugh Hewitt: I have a feeling someone was lying in wait for an Abu Ghraib reference. I read the quote and was taken aback because I spoke to the same Brig. Gen. David M. Brahms about the case this week, and his sentiments were very different from those presented in the Post. Which explains why he sent me this statement yesterday: "Recent reporting on the events in Haditha, Iraq have included significant factual errors and/or misleading statements. This includes a quote attributed to me in the Washington Post this morning that was taken completely out of context and its meaning distorted. Many facts that are favorable to the Marines involved have not yet been disclosed." Most definately an agenda here. Supporters of the troops best wait until all the facts have been released before telling the world they want the bastards strung up... if they did it. |
| Posted by: badanov 2006-05-28 06:01 |
| #4 right, Dave. It's all about focus. We are going to ignore the atrocities committed by the other side and give 24/7 to atrocities committed by ours. I'm not saying that we shouldn't rise above the level of these barbarians - it's a no brainer that we need to do so - but the MSM is all about keeping things out of context. That's what good propaganda is made of. |
| Posted by: 2b 2006-05-28 02:13 |
| #3 So we're going to have another trial in the Court of Public Opinion, with so-called "journalists" as prosecution, judge and jury all rolled into one. And we all know in advance what the verdict is going to be, without any regard to the facts: guilty. My son spent a year over there as a guard at the prison at Camp Bucca, starting right after Abu Ghraib hit the news. He returned from Iraq with a profound hatred of journalists, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. And Democrats-- like Kerry and Murtha-- who smear shit on our troops for cheap political gain. |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2006-05-28 00:58 |
| #2 "One US government official said the pictures showed that marines from Camp Pendleton "suffered a total breakdown in morality and leadership, with tragic results", according to yesterday's Los Angeles Times." -The LAT and US Govt Official - both credible sources w/out an ajenda & combat experience I'm sure. "My Lai massacre in Vietnam, when marines killed 500 villagers in a retaliation attack." -IIRC this was Lt William Calley of the Army, not a Marine unit. Second, there's a big difference between a fireteam and a platoon and 500 versus 24. I can deal w/bad news but I'm damn sick of piss poor journalism. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2006-05-28 00:24 |
| #1 Saw this earlier and wondered, is the investigation finished? No, I didn't think so. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-05-28 00:19 |