Word: haditha
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...cursing and complaining, there's an unexpected benefit for the U.S. military: the proliferating investigations into the killing of civilians by American troops are being forgotten. In our previous meeting two months ago, the insurgent leader had been cursing the Marines accused in the massacre of innocent civilians in Haditha. Since then, the accumulation of atrocities by Iraq's militias has altered his perspective. "Haditha was nothing compared to what the militias are doing," he says...
...military legal system, it is the commanding general at Camp Pendleton, California, where the unit that is the focus of the Haditha investigations is based, who will decide whether or not to bring criminal charges. But the case may be delayed slightly since one general, Lt. Gen. John Sattler, is being replaced by Lt. Gen. James Mattis and Sattler may not have enough time before he leaves to make a decision on what to charge, if anything, so Mattis would have to start fresh. Both are highly respected officers, and more important, both have served tours in Iraq...
...Whatever is decided, Haditha will likely remain a powerful touchstone as the unpopular war grinds on, more U.S. troops and Iraqis die and Congressional elections loom. Nowhere was that more clear than in a Washington, D.C., courthouse this week. That's where lawyers for Marine Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, the 26-year-old who was the unit leader that day in Haditha, called U.S. Congressman John Murtha a liar. Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat who served as a Marine in Vietnam and who in recent months has become increasingly outspoken in his opposition to the Iraq war, said...
...complaint, which asks for a public apology and at least $75,000, also says, "any accusation that the Marines 'executed' civilians or deliberately targeted noncombatants is either a horrendous misunderstanding or intentional lie." The lawyers point out that several members of Congress, from both parties, received briefings on Haditha and in stark contrast to Murtha, all of them refused to speak about the investigation or any of their own conclusions...
...complaint also provides some detail into Wuterich's explanation of the events in Haditha. It says, contrary to Murtha, that the Marines on the ground did follow the rules of engagement, that there was a firefight that day, that the Marines were shot at, and that at least two of the Iraqis had weapons. In response, Congressman Murtha did not back off of his earlier comments and instead said Wuterich was "lashing...