Haditha.

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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

From here.



Edited By GORDON on 1154651256
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
thibodeaux
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Post by thibodeaux »

Marines kill women and children: War Crime!

"Militants" kill women and children: Justifiable Fight against the Occupation.
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Marine says Rules were Followed.
Marine Says Rules Were Followed
Sergeant Describes Hunt for Insurgents in Haditha, Denies Coverup

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 11, 2006; Page A01

A sergeant who led a squad of Marines during the incident in Haditha, Iraq, that left as many as 24 civilians dead said his unit did not intentionally target any civilians, followed military rules of engagement and never tried to cover up the shootings, his attorney said.

Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, 26, told his attorney that several civilians were killed Nov. 19 when his squad went after insurgents who were firing at them from inside a house. The Marine said there was no vengeful massacre, but he described a house-to-house hunt that went tragically awry in the middle of a chaotic battlefield.


"It will forever be his position that everything they did that day was following their rules of engagement and to protect the lives of Marines," said Neal A. Puckett, who represents Wuterich in the ongoing investigations into the incident. "He's really upset that people believe that he and his Marines are even capable of intentionally killing innocent civilians."

Wuterich's detailed version of what happened in the Haditha neighborhood is the first public account from a Marine who was on the ground when the shootings occurred. As the leader of 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Wuterich was in the convoy of Humvees that was hit by a roadside bomb. He entered the house from which the Marines believed enemy fire was originating and made the initial radio reports to his company headquarters about what was going on, Puckett said.

The reports that Marines wantonly shot unarmed civilians in Haditha, including women and children, allege one of the most shocking, and potentially damaging, incidents of the Iraq war. A criminal investigation looking into possible charges of murder against half a dozen Marines is underway. A separate probe is examining whether Marines tried to cover up the shootings, and whether commanders were negligent in failing to investigate the deaths.

Three Marine officers have been relieved of command. In the absence of a public response from Marine Corps officials -- who are declining to comment to preserve the integrity of the investigation -- reports of what happened in the western Iraqi town have been leaking out piecemeal from the Haditha neighborhood and in Washington.

Wuterich's version contradicts that of the Iraqis, who described a massacre of men, women and children after a bomb killed a Marine. Haditha residents have said that innocent civilians were executed, that some begged for their lives before being shot and that children were killed indiscriminately.

Wuterich told his attorney in initial interviews over nearly 12 hours last week that the shootings were the unfortunate result of a methodical sweep for enemies in a firefight. Two attorneys for other Marines involved in the incident said Wuterich's account is consistent with those they had heard from their clients.

Kevin B. McDermott, who is representing Capt. Lucas M. McConnell, the Kilo Company commander, said Wuterich and other Marines informed McConnell on the day of the incident that at least 15 civilians were killed by "a mixture of small-arms fire and shrapnel as a result of grenades" after the Marines responded to an attack from a house.

McConnell was relieved of his command in April for "failure to investigate," according to McDermott. But the lawyer said McConnell told him that he reported the high number of civilian deaths to the 3rd Battalion executive officer that afternoon and that within a few days the battalion's intelligence chief gave a PowerPoint presentation to Marine commanders.

"It wasn't a situation that dawned on him as the captain of Kilo where it was like, 'Okay, guys, we need to conduct a more thorough investigation,' " McDermott said. "Everywhere up the chain, they had ample access to this thing."

Gary Myers, a civilian attorney for a Marine who was with Wuterich that day, said the Marines followed standard operating procedures when they "cleared" the houses, using fragmentation grenades and gunshots to respond to an immediate threat.


There's a couple more pages.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
TheCatt
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Post by TheCatt »

Still neutral til I hear more.
It's not me, it's someone else.
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Still neutral til I hear more.
And that's a hell of a lot better than the Americans who naturally assume the Marines did it on purpose.

No doubt in my mind peeps ended up dead. Welcome to war. Intention is everything, though, and after the daily reports of horrible koran torture out of gitmo and the inhuman torturous naked man pyramids at abu grhaib (yeah, spelling) it is my opinion that most of the press isn't biased... it is straight-up working for the other side. And that means finding scandal where it doesn't exist.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
Vince
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Post by Vince »

Well hell, if insurgents open fire on Marines in an inhabited residential area, then civilians will be put in harms way.

If evidence shows that the Marines shot first, then hang 'em.
"... and then I was forced to walk the Trail of Tears." - Elizabeth Warren
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Videotape has appeared that shows the Marines getting shot at.

http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/6/25/173358.shtml

Note John "LOOK AT ME!" Murtha's comments.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
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Post by 98-1151371563 »

"Militants" kill women and children: Justifiable Fight against the Occupation.
Wow, who ever said that precisely?
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

You'll have a hard time finding the word "terrorist" in many stories in the mainstream media, unless they are talking about Israelis.
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thibodeaux
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Post by thibodeaux »

heh
Here are four headings under which the anti-war types could disprove the charge of bad faith:
1) What about the land mines? ... n Iraq and Afghanistan, every day dozens of these devices—sometimes known as "improvised explosive devices," or IEDs—are buried where anyone can step on them or be blown up by them. We have persuasive evidence that Iran and Syria have contributed some sophisticated explosives to the gruesome business. Would not now be the time to demand that the international community denounce land-mine atrocities and—especially the states that underwrite them? Anyone who has ever uttered the phrase "civilian casualties" has a particular obligation here.

2) What happened to the human shields? ... [W]ould not now be the ideal time for those who hate war to go to Iraq and stand outside the mosques, hospitals, schools, and women's centers that are daily subjected to murderous assaults?

3) Couldn't you say at least something about the sanctions? While the Baath Party was still in power, I would receive appeals every week about the number of children who were dying because of the embargo...Well, I tried to point out that the best way of lifting the sanctions...was to remove the regime....if civilian casualties are the question, is it not true that the end of U.N. sanctions has been a positive and humanitarian thing by definition?

4) Isn't it time to revive the demand that homosexuals be allowed to wear the uniform of the U.S. military? This was once the united cry not just of all gay organizations but of a wide liberal consensus that helped elect Bill Clinton. How can such a thing have been so vital and yet been so hastily dropped?
...
This has been fun. Now, please, get back to Plame and Haditha.
Vince
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Post by Vince »

Christopher Hitchens seems like hardly the same person that was being such an ass to Charlton "Chuck" Heston on CNN back during the first Gulf War.
"... and then I was forced to walk the Trail of Tears." - Elizabeth Warren
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

No new news, just an update:

Navy wrapping up the fact-finding part of the investigation.

Some Marines expected to be charged. But in today's politically correct "somebody's gotta pay for it" world, I may never be convinced with anything short of a confession.
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

Ha, a Marine is suing John Murtha for defamation related to this case.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101345.html?nav=rss_print/asection

Murtha really is a cock, ex Marine, or not.
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GORDON
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Post by GORDON »

"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
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