Sunday - June 11, 2006

Haditha: The Other Side Of The Story

Hmmmmm. It seems there are two sides to every story after all. Now the Marines of Kilo Company are telling their side of events and it doesn’t quite match with what has been reported elsewhere. So far, the only side of the story we’ve heard is from the Iraqis and TIME magazine - who say the Marines murdered the civilans in cold blood as an act of “vengeqance”.

Contrary to that, the Marines are saying they followed the rules of engagement in pursuit of insurgents who ran into the houses. Another interesting point is that the chain of command was indeed notified immediately - instead of being “covered up” as TIME magazine implied recently.

Who do we believe: a bunch of scared Iraqis who are being intimidated by insurgents and the media who would love nothing better than to dishonor the troops -or- do we believe the men of the US Marine Corps?

Say what you will, my money’s on the grunts - who understand what duty and honor really mean ... something the Iraqis and the media haven’t quite figured out yet ...

Marine Says Rules Were Followed
Sergeant Describes Hunt for Insurgents in Haditha, Denies Coverup
_{Sunday, June 11, 2006}

(WASHINGTON POST) - “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.”

- Read the rest (and there’s much more) at the WAPO ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/11/2006 at 10:19 AM   
Filed Under: • Iraq • Military •  
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