Posted on 12/18/2006 5:43:28 PM PST by pinkpanther111
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military plans to charge Marines in the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the case. ADVERTISEMENT
The November 2005 killings, which enraged Iraqis, are one of a series of cases in which U.S. service members have been accused, and some convicted, of being involved in killing Iraqi civilians.
The charges in the Haditha case could include murder and are expected against at least five Marines, defense officials said. They will be announced from Camp Pendleton, California, where the Marines are being held.
Two investigations were launched into the Haditha case -- a murder inquiry and a probe into the Marines' procedures after the killings.
Under the murder inquiry, military criminal investigators have reviewed evidence indicating Marines deliberately shot to death the Iraqi civilians, according to a Pentagon official. The investigation into the military's response found Marine officers failed to respond properly to the conflicting reports of the killings, another official said.
Defense attorneys for some of the accused Marines have said their clients followed military rules of engagement and believed they were under attack when they fired.
Ping on Haditha for thursday
Ping
Murtha and the media, and a cabal inside the pentagon, are going to get their "mai lai" show trial.
Thanks Red. Looks like it is coming down to the wire.
Sigh.
If the charges are true, those marines should be hammered to the full extent of the law. If they are false, they should be exonerated.
Why we have trials.
"Murtha and the media, and a cabal inside the pentagon, are going to get their "mai lai" show trial."
Your point ?
"mai lai" never occured or should have been just covered over or ignored ?
you didn't think they built that fancy new media center at Pendleton, to show john wayne re-runs, did you?
Wow, they didn't get one single solitary terrorist?
Enough with the daily, it's coming. Do it or shut up.
The Haditha incident happened 13 months ago. Finally filing charges 4 days before Christmas tells far more than any charges will.
Goddamn them all to hell. That's not a curse. That's a hope.
the media and the left want another one "created" - at all costs. they want to be able to toss around the "war crimes" mantra.
this is their next abu ghraib, they took a bunch of undisciplined fools with digital cameras conducting frat house pranks - inappropriate and beyond the bounds of military conduct for sure, but systematic prisoner torture and abuse, no way.
it will be interesting to see the charges, to see who count as "the civilians". those college students in the car running the checkpoint, are they civilians? I would have blown them to hell also had they driven towards me in that environment. Hell, NYPD just did the same thing - in new york no less.
Thanks for the pings. I'll refrain from comment on al-Reuters wording.
Finally filing charges 4 days before Christmas tells far more than any charges will.
I know this is sad.
Exactly, it's pathetic!
"....undisciplined fools with digital cameras conducting frat house pranks...."
good way to describe it.....
Since June, "anonymous defense officials" have been tossing out different numbers every few weeks. They've said it'd be five, then five to eight, and most recently, "at least six".
It may not seem to matter much. But matters a great deal if you are a member of the Kilo Company squad, waiting to see if you'll be charged with murder.
"this is their next abu ghraib, they took a bunch of undisciplined fools with digital cameras conducting frat house pranks - inappropriate and beyond the bounds of military conduct for sure, but systematic prisoner torture and abuse, no way."
? ... So this should NOT be persued, because the other things that WERE TRUE turned out to be not important enough - simply frat house pranks ?
Another article I stumbled on...
http://interestalert.com/story/12180000aaa02d28.ap/rmmiller/NATIONAL/national_news.html
Marine to Be Charged in Haditha Case
By THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press Writer
A Marine captain has been told he will be criminally charged in connection with the killing of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha, his attorney said Monday.
Capt. Lucas McConnell, 31, was told by his commanding officer that he will be charged with dereliction of duty, said Kevin McDermott, his attorney.
'We're just absolutely clueless as to what kind of dereliction of duty he could have committed,' he said, adding that his client was not present during the killings.
Separately, two military officials said a group of Marines would be charged Thursday for their alleged roles in the killings. The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the charges ahead of their announcement.
The charges would mark the latest step in a massive investigation into the actions of a squad of Camp Pendleton-based Marines and several officers on Nov. 19, 2005. Earlier this month, the Marine Corps said that charges were being finalized against several troops but the precise timing was unclear.
Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Sean Gibson said Monday: 'We will be presenting as much information as allowable at the appropriate time.'
what "WAS TRUE" about Abu Ghraib? what the new york times protrayed it to be? no way.
those are the same "anoymous defense officials" who are in constant contact with Murtha, so he can be out front with a press conference smearing the marines, just ahead of the official announcements. break up that cabal, and you'll see what's really going on with this story.
Pathetic and sad are two of the words I was thinking.....that could be posted.
I'm sorry, this is as much a deriliction of duty as the Captain being charged. These "officials" have orders to keep their mouths shut so they leak "anonymously" to the press? Are they not disobeying orders? These officials are part of the Marine Corps justice system. Think about it--members of this justice system penalizing others for disobeying orders.
"what "WAS TRUE" about Abu Ghraib?"
What was not ? Were the pictures faked ?
The Marines at Pendleton are being charged for Hazardous Waste Removal. The Iraqi civilians are just like the Vietnamese were "Vietnamese by day Viet Cong by night". The Marines are being charged with taking out the garbage by our spineless and wasted politicians because they're being P.C.
Having been through the Viet Nam fiasco/defeat brought on by our so called elected officials, I think they should send our political gasbags over to Iraq and bring our military personnel home. Let the politicians use their great vocabularies they use on us to solve the hostilies there.
Freema has provided us with some pics of the "civilians" in the past that I happened to save.
CIVILIANS: 
CIVILIANS:
CIVILIANS: 
CIVILIANS: 
CIVILIANS: 
If they are not wearing a uniform, they are classified as "civilians"
Therefore, everyone in Iraq, with the exception of the Iraqi Army and Security Forces, are "civilians!"
the issue is, did they represent systematic torture and abuse of prisoners? no, they didn't.
those pictures of the "dogs being used on prisoners". tune into any episode of COPS, you will see dogs being used on americans, not just growling at them mind you - but actually released to attack and bite them. so you are telling me that abu ghraib involved "torture and abuse of prisoners by use of dogs" just because you see some still photos of prisoners and growling dogs, then what am I seeing on COPS every week?
I concur!
BTTT!
We knew this was coming. The Marine Corps no longer takes care of their own.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?show_id=7009
ping on some media interviews
Well, I'm not telling you anything of the sort... so take a deep breath, my FRiend.
... and if you expect that anything you see on COPS represents reality of police OR war, you are sadly mistaken.
Note this ahead of time: The enlisted will be charged with MURDER; the Officers will be offered a chance to apologize and resign.
bunch of political bs.
the police do not use dogs against american citizens? is that what you are telling me? those perps on COPS, are all actors, and the dogs are all "stunt dogs" being released to go after them?
no, we dont have trials, we have guilty before proven innocent here.
These men are already convicted.
Only those who take plea bargains will avoid the murder charges, and they will do so because the Military will NOT provide them with senior officers for representation and the civilian lawyers will demand a plea to get the lowest charges
there is serious corruption in the JAG corps today, and it is filled with liars who are hanging innocent men.
Military officials say the U-S Marine Corps plans to charge several Camp Pendleton Marines on Thursday in the killing of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha.
The squad leader of the mission was Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, who grew up in Meriden, Connecticut. Officials did not release the names of the Marines expected to be arrested.
The charges, which have not been made public, are the next step in a massive investigation into the actions of the Marine squad and several officers on November 19th last year when a roadside bomb killed a Marine Humvee driver.
In the hours that followed, Marines killed 24 civilians.
Wuterich's lawyer has described the events of the day as a tragic -- but lawful -- combat engagement, and said the Marines were responding to a perceived threat the way they had been trained to.
But survivors and human rights groups said the killings were deliberate acts by the Marines.
HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS??? * spit * See Justa's post 28 for photos of representatives of said "human rights groups" in Haditha.
It should not be pursued because it is not true!!
It is a sham, just like the Hamandiya incident!
They will hammer the youngest ones and hold them in solitary until they break and sign papers against the senior NCO's of the group, allow the lower ranks to plea bargain because the families cannot afford the civilian attornies to fight the senior officers who will prosecute.
And GWB will give the appearance we are against war crimes...while allowing terrorists amnesty to turn in their weapons in Iraq and all is okay: HANG your own men, give amnesty to a terrorist.
BLITZER: He was responding in part to you, because you've suggested this week that there in effect was a massacre.
MURTHA: Well there was. There's no question about it. I know, in talking to a number of people, and the information, I've never given you bad information yet. I talked to about it, in the context of the fact that these troops are under such tremendous pressure and that's what happens when they're under tremendous pressure.
When this thing's all over, you're going to see exactly what I've said to be true. That, there was an IED attack, it killed one marine, and then they overreacted and killed a number of civilians without anybody firing at them. That's what you're going to find out.
{snip}
BLITZER: The marines say they're still investigating. They don't know what happened yet. The pentagon says the same thing. How do you know what happened?
MURTHA: Wolf, you read the "Time" magazine articles. There are pictures, there are photos. You don't have to talk to the military about the proof. But you will see when the investigation is done that this was an overreaction by our troops, and this is the type thing that hurts us so badly.
BLITZER: He was responding in part to you, because you've suggested this week that there in effect was a massacre.
MURTHA: Well there was. There's no question about it. I know, in talking to a number of people, and the information, I've never given you bad information yet. I talked to about it, in the context of the fact that these troops are under such tremendous pressure and that's what happens when they're under tremendous pressure.
When this thing's all over, you're going to see exactly what I've said to be true. That, there was an IED attack, it killed one marine, and then they overreacted and killed a number of civilians without anybody firing at them. That's what you're going to find out.
{snip}
BLITZER: The marines say they're still investigating. They don't know what happened yet. The pentagon says the same thing. How do you know what happened?
MURTHA: Wolf, you read the "Time" magazine articles. There are pictures, there are photos. You don't have to talk to the military about the proof. But you will see when the investigation is done that this was an overreaction by our troops, and this is the type thing that hurts us so badly.
" And GWB will give the appearance we are against war crimes... "
? Are you against war crimes ?
This was in line with "anonymous DOD sources" who leaked five names to NPR just before Thanksgiving. The five names were:
Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 26, of Meriden, Connecticut
Corporal Hector Salinas, 22, of Houston, Texas
Corporal Sanick De la Cruz, 24, of Chicago, Illinois
Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, 25, of Edmund, Oklahoma
Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt, 21, of Carbondale, Pennsylvania
look- about the prison thingie- our college women face harsher hazing acts than any of those supposedly war toughened murdering terrorists faced- the whole deal on that was a sham and left one with the impression that those supposedly tough terrorists weren't even as tough as our college women- When someone loses a limb, or is incapacited, or has a bodily function abruptly destroyed or rendered innefective- give us a hollar about 'abuse' - we might take you serious then http://sacredscoop.com
For instance, this Guardian article is very interesting. It's entitled: Under US noses, brutal insurgents rule Sunni citadel.
"A three-hour drive north from Baghdad...it is a miniature Taliban-like state. Insurgents decide who lives and dies, which salaries get paid, what people wear, what they watch and listen to....DVDs of beheadings on the bridge are distributed free in the souk. Children prefer them to cartoons."
Yep! He wrote the script last May and the Marines have been scrambling to make the case conform to the predetermined outcome.
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