Posted on 11/16/2004 7:01:14 AM PST by areafiftyone
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Marines rallied round a comrade under investigation for killing a wounded Iraqi during the offensive in Falluja, saying he was probably under combat stress in unpredictable, hair-trigger circumstances.
Marines interviewed on Tuesday said they didn't see the shooting as a scandal, rather the act of a comrade who faced intense pressure during the effort to quell the insurgency in the city.
"I can see why he would do it. He was probably running around being shot at for days on end in Falluja. There should be an investigation but they should look into the circumstances," said Lance Corporal Christopher Hanson.
"I would have shot the insurgent too. Two shots to the head," said Sergeant Nicholas Graham, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "You can't trust these people. He should not be investigated. He did nothing wrong."
The military command launched an investigation after video footage showed a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded and unarmed man in a mosque in the city on Saturday. The man was one of five wounded and left in the mosque after Marines fought their way through the area.
A pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it, killing 10 militants and wounding the five. Sites said the wounded had been left for others to pick up.
A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be close to death, Sites said.
He said a Marine noticed one prisoner was still breathing.
A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's fucking faking he's dead."
"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head," Sites said.
NBC said the Marine, who had reportedly been shot in the face himself the previous day, said immediately after the shooting: "Well, he's dead now."
THOROUGH PROBE PROMISED
The Marine commander in Falluja, Lieutenant General John Sattler, said his men followed the law of conflict and held themselves to a high standard of accountability.
"The facts of this case will be thoroughly pursued to make an informed decision and to protect the rights of all persons involved," he said.
Marines have repeatedly described the rebels they fought against in Falluja as ruthless fighters who didn't play by the rules. They say the investigation is politically motivated.
"It's all political. This Marine has been under attack for days. It has nothing to do with what he did," said Corporal Keith Hoy, 23.
Rights group Amnesty International said on Monday both sides in the Falluja fighting had broken the rules of war governing the protection of civilians and wounded combatants.
Gunnery Sergeant Christopher Garza, 30, favored an investigation but like other Marines said the Pentagon should weigh its decision carefully.
"He should have captured him. Maybe the insurgent had some valuable information. There may have been mitigating circumstances. Maybe his two buddies died in Falluja," he said.
Sites said: "I have witnessed the Marines behaving as a disciplined and professional force throughout this offensive. In this particular case, it certainly was a confusing situation to say the least."
The U.S. military has been embarrassed by scandals in Iraq, most prominently the Abu Ghraib affair in which at least eight U.S. soldiers have been tried or face courts-martial over the abuse of prisoners at the jail outside Baghdad.
There have also been several cases in which soldiers have been charged with wrongfully killing Iraqis during operations.
Well I don't think he was in the Mosque to pray...
F U Old media and the horse you rode in on. Quit picking on our soldiers. MSM you can go to H*LL.
Agree. Un-bed the embedded.
Anybody got a link to the video? I have leftists to torment with it!
Several comments:
1. A good defense lawyer would ask for the proof that the guy wasn't "dead" before the final shot.
2. Fox News, in discussing this story last night, showed film of a Marine who was killed a block away from the mosque by a booby-trapped "dead" insurgent. These guys have been fighting this insanity for a week.
Plausible Alternate Headline: 6 marines and embedded reporter killed by booby-trapped insurgent playing dead.
I'm not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater--yet. This is the only reporter who has attacked the people who are keeping his miserable life safe in this war--so far. I say send this guy packing for not telling the Marines about what he knew, for not reporting the action to the proper authorities (the on-air media is NOT any kind of authority), and for being an ingrate.
Many of the imbeds, including some from Fox, have been spectacular. Without them, we'd have never heard about the torture and slaughter houses--nor would we have heard a lot of the good things our guys have done while under fire in Fallujah. Let's be selective about who we "imbed" but please, don't toss them all.
I will look for you.
Ditto - bump
"..."I would have shot the insurgent..."
Why not call the "insurgents" what they really are---TERRORISTS!!!!! They should be treated accordingly. Those poor souls taking those futile swan dives in post #8 weren't given any option. Yet, footage of their falls, hardly ever make it on the tube. This incident will be run ad nauseum until the Marine will be a bigger killer that Scott Peterson.
So far I have only seen one statement from the reporter: Sites said: "I have witnessed the Marines behaving as a disciplined and professional force throughout this offensive. In this particular case, it certainly was a confusing situation to say the least."
That doesn't sound to me like he's trying to make the Marine look as bad as possible. All the reporter did was run his camera. It's not his fault what images the camera captured.
I fail to understand the venom people have for someone who was invited to tag along with the Marines and was doing his job. His job isn't to take only pretty pictures of smiling Marines after it's all over. His job is dangerous and it's a service - don't you appreciate the battle images we've seen? Don't you appreciate being able to see our Marines in action and see the level of competency that hard work and hard training promote? I certainly do. Many here (myself included) defend the actions of the Marine. How can you defend the Marine and condemn the reporter who did nothing more than run his camera. It would be one thing if he were out running his mouth and saying the Marines are blood thirsty animals and killing innocents left and right - that's what Kerry did, right? But that's not what Sites is saying. I've gone to his blog and I don't like some of the phrases he uses that in my mind glorify the struggle of the insurgents, but I fail to see what he's done to bring so many calls for his death or a severe beating.
Roger that. Have a news crew film it too!
Its on the upper right hand side of the page.
Exactly.
Moveon.
I tried to get an email to NBC. Their "contact us" button doesn't work. Imagine that!
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