Wikipedia

Haditha massacre

The Haditha massacre was a series of killings on November 19, 2005, in which a group of United States marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians.[1][2] The killings occurred in the city of Haditha in Iraq's western province of Al Anbar. Among the dead were men, women, elderly people and children as young as three years old, who were shot multiple times at close range. The massacre took place after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a convoy, killing a lance corporal and severely injuring two other marines. In response the marines executed five men from a nearby taxicab and 19 others inside four nearby homes.

Haditha massacre
Part of the Iraq War
The bodies of five Iraqi civilians are laid out on the ground by the car they were shot in, as a Marine stands over them.
The huddled bloody bodies of Ayda Yassin Ahmed (44) and her children Sabaa (10), Ayesha (3), Zainab (5) and Mohammed (8) lying on the bed where they were shot and killed.
The bloody bodies of Asmaa Salman Raseef (32) and her son Abdullah (4). Asmaa's body can be seen holding her son, who was shot in the head.
The body of four-year-old Zainab Younis Salim lying with her siblings. Her back is marked with the number 11 in red sharpie.
The bodies of Jaheed Abdul Hameed Hassan (43), Asmaa Salman Raseef (32) and her son Abdullah (4). Jaheed is lying in the foreground with his head against the wall.
Iraqi civilians, including children killed by U.S. Marines during the massacre
LocationHaditha, Al Anbar Province, Iraq
Coordinates34°08′23″N 42°22′41″E / 34.13972°N 42.37806°E / 34.13972; 42.37806
DateNovember 19, 2005; 19 years ago (2005-11-19)
Attack type
Raids against a vehicle and several nearby houses in response to an IED attack against U.S. Marines
Deaths24 Iraqi civilians
PerpetratorsUnited States Marine Corps, specifically the K Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

An initial Marine Corps communique falsely reported that 15 civilians were killed by the bomb's blast and that eight insurgents were subsequently killed by the marines.[1][3] A Time magazine reporter's questions prompted the US military to open an investigation into the incident. The investigation found evidence that "supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot civilians", according to an anonymous Pentagon official.[4] Three officers were officially reprimanded for failing to properly initially report and investigate the killings. On December 21, 2006, eight marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines were charged in connection with the incident.

By June 17, 2008, six defendants had their cases dropped and a seventh was found not guilty.[5] The exception was Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich. On October 3, 2007, the Article 32 hearing investigating officer recommended that charges of murder be dropped and Wuterich be tried for negligent homicide in the deaths of two women and five children.[6] Further charges of assault and manslaughter were ultimately dropped. Wuterich was convicted of one count of negligent dereliction of duty on January 24, 2012.[7][8] Wuterich received a rank reduction and pay cut but avoided jail time.[9][10] Iraqis expressed disbelief and voiced outrage after the six-year U.S. military prosecution ended with none of the marines sentenced to incarceration. A lawyer for the victims stated "this is an assault on humanity" before adding that he, as well as the government of Iraq, might bring the case to international courts.[11]

Background

edit

In September 2005, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1) deployed to Haditha, an agricultural town along the Euphrates river in western Iraq.[12] Prior to the deployment, a Guardian investigation reported that two Iraqi insurgent groups—Ansar al-Sunna and Al-Qaeda—had taken over operations of the town after driving out local police and civil servants.[13] Although the battalion been told to expect a battle like in Fallujah, where coalition forces had driven out Iraqi insurgents from the city, the marines faced no resistance upon entering Haditha.[14] In Haditha, the marines established a base inside an abandoned school, which they named Forward Operating Base Sparta (FOB Sparta), and spent their time patrolling the town for insurgent activity.[15]

While Iraqi insurgents were present in Haditha, and the town had been the site of several roadside bombings from makeshift explosives known as IEDs, insurgents rarely directly engaged with marines.[16][13] Marines instead spent their time searching for insurgents, seizing munitions, and building rapport with local residents as part of the US military's "hearts and minds" campaign.[17]

Killings

edit

Roadside bombing

edit

On November 19, 2005, a 3/1 resupply convoy triggered an IED explosion, killing one marine and injuring two others. Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas was killed instantly at 7:15 a.m. Terrazas was driving the Humvee when it was bisected by the explosion. Lance Corporal James Crossan was in the passenger seat and was thrown out of the vehicle and trapped under the rear passenger tire. Private First Class Salvador Guzman was in the back of the vehicle conducting security for the convoy and was thrown from the Humvee. Both Crossan and Guzman were taken to a landing zone to be evacuated for medical attention. Crossan was medically discharged from the Marines due to the wounds he received that day. Guzman returned to active duty after healing and went on a second deployment with 3/1 to Iraq in April 2007.[citation needed]

Killings and immediate aftermath

edit
Killed in the massacre[18]
Taxicab killings
  • Ahmed Khidher, taxi driver
  • Akram Hamid Flayeh, university student
  • Khalid Ayada al-Zawi, university student
  • Wajdi Ayada al-Zawi, university student
  • Mohammed Battal Mahmoud, university student
Killed from house No. 1
  • Abdul Hamid Hassan Ali, age 76
  • Khamisa Tuma Ali, age 66
  • Rashid Abdul Hamid, age 30
  • Walid Abdul Hamid Hassan, age 35
  • Jahid Abdul Hamid Hassan, middle-aged man
  • Asma Salman Rasif, age 32
  • Abdullah Walid, age 4
Killed from house No. 2
  • Younis Salim Khafif, age 43
  • Aida Yasin Ahmed, age 41
  • Muhammad Younis Salim, age 8
  • Noor Younis Salim, age 14
  • Sabaa Younis Salim, age 10
  • Zainab Younis Salim, age 5
  • Aisha Younis Salim, age 3
  • A one-year-old girl
Killed from house No. 3 and 4
  • Jamal Ahmed, age 41
  • Marwan Ahmed, age 28
  • Qahtan Ahmed, age 24
  • Chasib Ahmed, age 27
Died later of injuries

Five Iraqi men (a taxi driver and four passengers) were ordered out of their car and shot dead in the street, principally by Wuterich. After their deaths, Lieutenant William T. Kallop, according to his statements to investigators, arrived on the scene. Kallop and others reported taking small-arms fire, which they attributed to a nearby house. Kallop gave the order "to take the house".[20] Nineteen of those killed were in three adjacent houses which Marines entered, employing grenades and small arms.[21] According to Kallop,

The Marines cleared it the way they had been trained to clear it, which is frags first. ... It was clear just by the looks of the room that frags went in and then the house was prepped and sprayed like with a machine gun and then they went in. And by the looks of it, they just ... they went in, cleared the room, everybody was down.[20]

On November 20, 2005, a Marine press release from Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi reported the deaths of a Marine and 15 civilians. It said the civilians' deaths resulted from a roadside bomb and Iraqi insurgents. The initial U.S. military statement read:

A US marine and 15 civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb in Haditha. Immediately following the bombing, gunmen attacked the convoy with small arms fire. Iraqi army soldiers and Marines returned fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding another.[1][22]

Iman Walid, a nine-year-old child who witnessed the incident, described the Marines entering their house. She said:

I couldn't see their faces very well - only their guns sticking in to the doorway. I watched them shoot my grandfather, first in the chest and then in the head. Then they killed my granny.[1]

The director of the local hospital in Haditha, Dr. Wahid, said two American Humvees brought the 24 bodies to the hospital around midnight on November 19. While the Marines claim that the victims had been killed by shrapnel from the roadside bomb and that the men were saboteurs, Wahid said that there were "no organs slashed by shrapnel in any of the bodies". He further claimed that it appeared that "the victims were shot in the head and chest from close range."[1]

Soon after the killings, the mayor of Haditha, Emad Jawad Hamza, led an angry delegation of elders to the Haditha Dam Marine base reportedly complaining to the base captain.[1]

The Marine Corps paid US$38,000 total to the families of 15 of the dead civilians.[23]

Evidence about the killings

edit
 
Ayda Yasin Ahmed's home where she, her sister, and five of her six children were killed by U.S. Marines. The floor has streaks of blood from Marines dragging their corpses out of the home.

Video shot by the co-founder of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO), Taher Thabet, which instigated Tim McGirk's original Time magazine article, and cellphone photos reportedly taken by one of the Marines[24] the day after the killings have been put forth as evidence that the killings were methodical and without resistance.[1][25] The video showed the bodies of the women and children with gunshot wounds, bullet holes in the interior walls of the house, and bloodstains on the floor. Insufficient evidence has come to light to account for insurgents hiding in the houses that first came under attack.[clarification needed]

...the only AK-47 that was discovered that day—apparently a household defensive weapon, of the type that is legal and common in Iraq. No one has claimed that the rifle had been fired.

— William Langewiesche in "Rules of Engagement", Vanity Fair, November 2006

McGirk, who was based in Jerusalem, declined to testify at the hearings.[26]

Investigations

edit

Upon being told of questions by reporters concerning the Haditha killings, Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli instructed his public affairs office to brief them with the results of the military investigation, only to learn there had been no investigation.[27] After video evidence which conflicted with the initial U.S. report was released, Chiarelli ordered a preliminary investigation on February 14, 2006.

Two official U.S. military investigations began. The first, under United States Army Major General Eldon Bargewell, examined how the incident was reported through the chain of command. The second, headed by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, began on March 9, and examined the criminal aspects of the incident.[22][28] The conduct of Wuterich, the squad leader, came under scrutiny.

On March 19, 2006, U.S. military officials confirmed that, contrary to the initial report, U.S. Marines, not Iraqi insurgents, killed 15 civilians.

On June 2, 2006, news outlets reported that 24 Iraqis had been killed, none as a result of the bomb explosion.[29] This news predated the results of the U.S. military investigation, which found that the 24 unarmed Iraqis—including women and children as young as two years old[30]—were killed by 12 members of K Company.[31]

The Times published the result of the Bargewell investigation, including eyewitness interviews. It noted that the "official investigation has already resulted in the removal of Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani, the commanding officer, and Captain Luke McConnell and 10-year-veteran Captain James Kimber (born 1973), two company commanders, from their duties."[32]

Bargewell's investigation found:

Statements made by the chain of command during interviews for this investigation, taken as a whole, suggest that Iraqi civilian lives are not as important as U.S. lives, their deaths are just the cost of doing business, and that the Marines need to get "the job done" no matter what it takes. These comments had the potential to desensitize the Marines to concern for the Iraqi populace and portray them all as the enemy even if they are noncombatants.[33]

On June 1, 2006, the Associated Press reported that the Iraqi government decided to launch its own probe. Adnan al-Kazimi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said the decision was made during a Cabinet meeting. The probe was to be carried out by a special committee made up of the Justice and Human Rights ministries, along with security officials.[citation needed]

On June 17, 2006, the New York Times reported that "Investigators have also concluded that most of the victims in three houses died from well-aimed rifle shots, not shrapnel or random fire, according to military officials familiar with the initial findings."[34] Many of those killed had wounds from close-range fire, and their death certificates record "well-aimed shots to the head and chest" as the cause of death.[34]

The U.S. Marines avoided public statements about the killings.[citation needed]

edit

The intentional killing of noncombatants is prohibited by modern laws of war derived from the United Nations Charter, the Hague Conventions and the Geneva Conventions, and constitutes a war crime. The Marines and officers were subject to courts martial under American military law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Attorney Gary Myers worked on the case. He also had worked on the trial resulting from the My Lai massacre in 1968.[35]

James Mattis' actions

edit

In his memoir Call Sign Chaos, then I Marine Expeditionary Force commander James N. Mattis explains his experience and actions in relation to the Haditha massacre. He states he read "more than nine thousand pages" of investigative material. He concluded that "several have made tragic mistakes, but others had lost their discipline", which is why he recommended courts-martial for some Marines but not for others. The battalion commander was not aware of the details on the same day of the incident, and the killings were brought to light by a reporter. Mattis relieved the battalion commander from duty because the lack of reporting and because the number of civilian deaths "should have alerted him that something very out of the ordinary ... had occurred." He then recommended letters of reprimand for the division commander and two colonels, stating, "[b]y their actions or inactions, they demonstrated lack of due diligence." This action forced the senior officers to leave active service.[36]

 
Three-year-old Ayesha Younis Salim after she was shot to death by U.S. Marines. Her face is marked with the number 12 in red sharpie, to distinguish between the dead bodies. To her left is her ten-year-old sister Sabaa and to her right is her eight-year-old brother Mohammed. At the bottom of the photo is the arm of her five-year-old sister Zainab.

Charges leveled

edit

On December 21, 2006, the U.S. military charged eight Marines in connection with the Haditha incident.[37] Four of the eight (Wuterich, Sergeant Sanick P. Dela Cruz, Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt and Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum) were accused of unpremeditated murder.[38] Tatum was further charged with negligent homicide and assault, while Dela Cruz was also charged with making a false statement. Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others".[39] The battalion commander, Chessani, was charged with one count of violating a lawful order and two counts of dereliction of duty. First Lieutenant Andrew Grayson was charged with obstruction of justice, dereliction of duty, and making a false statement. (He had been charged with deleting photos of the deceased Iraqis in order to obstruct the investigation. He had also been charged with failing to notify the Marine Corps administrative chain of command of his legal status when his term of service was expired and he was discharged from the Marine Corps.)[40] Captain Randy Stone and McConnell were charged with dereliction of duty. Stone also faced an additional count of violating a lawful order.[38]

Pre-trial hearings

edit

Testimony in an Article 32 investigation for Stone, equivalent to a civilian grand jury proceeding, began on May 8, 2007.[41] At the hearing, Kallop, the platoon commander who ordered Marines to "clear" four houses, testified that the rules of engagement were followed and that no mistakes had been made. He stated that a Marine on the scene had reported seeing a suspected insurgent in the vicinity. Kallop also believed that small arms fire was being directed from the first house attacked by the Marines.[42]

On May 9, Dela Cruz, who received immunity in return for testimony, testified that he watched Wuterich shoot five Iraqis who were attempting to surrender. Dela Cruz further testified that both he and Wuterich fired into the bodies of the five after they were dead, and that he had urinated on one of the dead Iraqis.[43][44]

 
Several victims lying on the ground

No weapons were found in the white taxi.[45]

The US military attempted to subpoena material from a 60 Minutes interview with Wuterich, specifically material where Wuterich admitted to ordering his men to "shoot first and ask questions later."[46] The interview includes Wuterich insisting he perceived a threat from house 1, but saw no gun fire from that house and that he saw no insurgent enter that house. He suggests he saw the dead family in house 1 and proceeded to assault house 2 based on a guess that the gunman may have entered that house. The Marines knocked on the door of house 2 and when someone came to answer they fired through the door killing what they saw to be an unarmed man. They then assaulted the house and killed the family inside. Wuterich later said he believed there was probably no threat to begin with.[47]

The Article 32 investigation recommended Stone's criminal charge be dismissed, but that he face a new lesser charge that would be handled administratively for failing to investigate the incident properly.[48]

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani was recommended to face court-martial for having "failed to thoroughly and accurately report and investigate a combat action that clearly needed scrutiny."[49] On June 17, 2008 Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom dismissed all charges against Chessani on the grounds that General James Mattis, who approved the filing of charges against Chessani, was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the incident. The ruling was without prejudice, which allows the prosecution to refile.[50]

Lt. Col. Paul Ware, the Investigating Officer for several of the enlisted Marines, recommended on July 11, 2007, that LCpl. Justin Sharratt be cleared of these charges. Ware stated, "[t]he government version is unsupported by independent evidence... To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary."[51]

Article 32 hearings for Tatum began July 16, and for Wuterich began in August.[52] The investigating officer recommended charges be dropped against Tatum.[53]

Charges dropped

edit

On April 17, 2007, the Marine Corps dropped all charges against Dela Cruz in exchange for his testimony. Seven other Marines involved in the incident were also granted immunity.[54]

On August 9, 2007, all charges against Sharratt, Donahue, and Stone were dropped.[55] On October 19, Sharratt's commanding officer decided the charges should be lowered to involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.[56]

On September 18, 2007, all charges against McConnell were dropped in exchange for immunity and his cooperation with the investigation.[57]

On March 28, 2008, all charges against Tatum were dropped.[58]

On June 17, 2008, all charges against Chessani were dismissed by the military judge citing unlawful command influence.[59] The Marine Corps appealed that ruling in 2008.[60][failed verification] On March 17, 2009, a military appeals court upheld the dismissal of the war crimes charges against Chessani.[61] Facing an administrative Board of Inquiry, it also found no misconduct and recommended that Chessani be allowed to retire without loss of rank.[62]

On June 5, 2008, Grayson was acquitted of all charges.[63]

Trial of Wuterich

edit

The court martial of Wuterich, the only defendant to stand trial for the Haditha killings, took place in January 2012. During the trial, Dela Cruz testified that he (Dela Cruz), urinated on the skull of one of the dead Iraqis.[64] He also testified, after describing how Wuterich shot the passengers of the car from close range, "Sergeant Wuterich approached me and told me if anyone asks, the Iraqis were running away from the car and the Iraqi army shot them".[65] In a plea deal, Wuterich pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, while charges of assault and manslaughter were dropped.[10] He was convicted of a single count of negligent dereliction of duty on January 24, 2012, receiving a rank reduction and pay cut but avoiding jail time.[7]

Separation ordered for witnesses

edit

In mid April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus informed Commandant General Jim Amos of the Marine Corps that he had reviewed the Haditha incident and ordered Dela Cruz and Mendoza separated from the Navy after they had testified in the trial of Wuterich. Mabus said in the letter that his review of Dela Cruz and Mendoza's cases "revealed troubling information about their conduct". He cited false statements Dela Cruz made about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of five men found next to a white car at the scene. He said Mendoza also lied and withheld information, without citing specifics. "Such conduct is wholly inconsistent with the core values of the Department of the Navy," Mabus said in the letter to Amos. "You are directed to immediately initiate administrative processing for Dela Cruz and Mendoza for administrative separation in the best interest of the service." During Wuterich's trial, Mendoza and Dela Cruz acknowledged on the witness stand that they had lied to investigators to protect the squad. They told jurors that later they decided it was time to tell the truth. Both Marines were allowed to submit rebuttals to the separation proceeding. Both Marines were separated.[66]

Reaction

edit
United States General Michael Hagee discusses the Marine Corps' public relations management of the massacre

According to former Democratic advisor Sidney Blumenthal in a Salon Magazine article,

The coverup at Haditha reportedly began instantly. However, an Iraqi journalism student shot a video the day after of the bloodstained and bullet-riddled houses where the massacre had occurred. That video made its way to an Iraqi human rights group and finally to Tim McGirk, a correspondent from Time magazine. When Time made its first queries, the Marine spokesman, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool, who had issued the first statement on Haditha as an action against terrorists months earlier, told reporters that they were falling for al-Qaida propaganda. 'I cannot believe you're buying any of this,'[67] he wrote in an e-mail. Nonetheless, word reached Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Iraq, that there had been no investigation and he ordered one immediately.

According to the Los Angeles Times, military and congressional sources distinguished between two squads: the original Marine squad involved in the explosion and shootings, and a Marine intelligence squad that took photos shortly after the shootings. According to LA Times sources, no investigation occurred until after a March 2006 Time magazine story alleging a massacre, even though the intelligence squad's photos were inconsistent with the Marine squad's report of a firefight. According to the LA Times story, military officials blamed the delay of the investigation on the Marine squad's efforts to cover up the events: ...Military officials say they believe the delay in beginning the investigation was a result of the squad's initial efforts to cover up what happened."[25] However, both military and congressional sources said that the "intelligence team" that took photos after the firefight did not appear to participate in any improper action: ...Military and congressional sources said there was no indication that the members of the intelligence team did anything improper or delayed reporting their findings."[25]

The same LA Times story quoted Republican Representative John Kline of Minnesota:

There is no question that the Marines involved, those doing the shooting, they were busy in lying about it and covering it up—there is no question about it. But I am confident, as soon as the command learned there might be some truth to this, they started to pursue it vigorously. I don't have any reason now to think there was any foot dragging.[25]

In June 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the killings and called for a swift investigation, saying: "The crime and misery of Haditha ... is a terrible crime where women and children were eliminated."[68]

John Dickerson and Dahlia Lithwick of Slate suggested that the Iraqis should be able to put the Marines on trial:

Let's let the Iraqis put the Americans alleged to have committed these crimes on trial. The United States wants to encourage the fledgling Iraqi institution of democracy, right? That's why we wanted Saddam tried in Iraq, and through the Iraqi judicial system--both to build up its legitimacy and to give Iraqis the sense of ownership that comes with having control over the legal process. Why, then, shouldn't we also turn over our own soldiers who were involved in either the Haditha massacre or any of the other possible massacres for trial under the Iraqi justice system?[69]

Comments by Representative Murtha

edit

On May 17, 2006, Democratic Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine colonel and critic of the war, stated at a news conference that an internal investigation had confirmed the massacre.[70][71][72] He was quoted as saying:

There was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.[73]

On August 2, 2006, Wuterich, who led the accused squad, filed suit for libel and invasion of privacy. The filing alleged that Murtha "tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops 'killed innocent civilians in cold blood'. Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was 'covered up'."[74] Wuterich was charged with nine counts of manslaughter in 2008, and Wuterich's lawsuit against Murtha was dismissed in 2009, as the court had determined Murtha was immune, having made his comments as a lawmaker.[75]

On September 25, 2008, Sharratt filed a slander suit against Murtha. The lawsuit stated that "Sharratt, in being labeled repeatedly by Murtha as a 'cold-blooded murderer', and by Murtha outrageously claiming that the Haditha incident was comparable to the infamous (My Lai) massacre of Vietnam, has suffered permanent, irreversible damage to his reputation." In 2011, Sharratt's lawsuit was dismissed by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.[76]

Comparisons with My Lai massacre and other incidents

edit
 
66-year-old Khomeisa Tuma Ali, who was shot and killed in the first house the Marines entered.

Many news reports compared the Haditha killings to the 1968 My Lai massacre of 504 villagers during the Vietnam War, with some commentators describing it as "Bush's My Lai",[77][78] or "Iraq's My Lai".[79] Very often, the killings have been described as part of a wider pattern of human rights abuses committed by American forces in Iraq. As a Spiegel reporter notes in an interview with Michael Sallah, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation of atrocities committed by the Tiger Force unit in Vietnam,[80] "you would have difficulties finding a single newspaper in Germany, or elsewhere in Europe, that does not deal with My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and Haditha in the same commentary."[81] Some rejected the comparison, however, including prominent journalist Christopher Hitchens who stated in a June 2006 essay that:

...all the glib talk about My Lai is so much propaganda and hot air. In Vietnam, the rules of engagement were such as to make an atrocity – the slaughter of the My Lai villagers took almost a day rather than a white-hot few minutes – overwhelmingly probable. The ghastliness was only stopped by a brave officer who prepared his chopper-gunner to fire. In those days there were no precision-guided missiles, but there were "free-fire zones", and "body counts", and other virtual incitements to psycho officers such as Capt. Medina and Lt. Calley. As a consequence, a training film about My Lai – "if anything like this happens, you have really, truly screwed up" – has been in use for U. S. soldiers for some time.[82]

The most frequent parallel drawn between the My Lai massacre and Haditha massacre is the military instinct to cover-up and whitewash civilian deaths. Professor Martin Shaw pointed out on the analysis website OpenDemocracy,[83] that of the 22 officers put on trial for the My Lai massacre, all were acquitted except for Lieutenant William Calley, who served only three and a half years of his life sentence. Shaw observed that "in the few cases in which soldiers have been accused over atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan, convictions have been few and far between."

Comparisons have also been made to the case of Ilario Pantano, who was initially charged with premeditated murder in Iraq but this was dropped after it was determined there was no credible evidence or testimony. Pantano himself has spoken out in defense of the "Haditha Marines", objecting to what he called a "rush to judgement".[84]

It was suggested that the Haditha killings might, like the My Lai Massacre, have resulted in further reduction of American public support for the conflict.[78] The killings have also been compared to killings in Afghanistan, particularly the 2007 Shinwar shooting.[citation needed]

Allegations of investigative failures

edit

Family, friends, defense lawyers and right-wing radio host Michael Savage strongly criticized the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for its role in the case. They highlighted the string of immunities that were granted as a sign of NCIS bungling.[85]

In December 2011, 400 pages of classified notes from top-secret interviews with US soldiers about the killings were discovered in a dump on the outskirts of Baghdad.[86] Also in December 2011, The Washington Post published NCIS photographs of the aftermath of the killings.[87]

Iraqi people

edit

Iraqis expressed disbelief and voiced outrage after the six-year US military prosecution ended with none of the Marines sentenced to jail. The Iraqi government said that the ruling did "not fit the crime" and that it plans legal action on behalf of families of victims killed.[88] Survivor Awis Fahmi Hussein commented.

I was expecting that the American judiciary would sentence this person to life in prison and that he would appear and confess in front of the whole world that he committed this crime, so that America could show itself as democratic and fair.[89]

Youssef Ayid, who lost four brothers in the Haditha raid, said, "We are sad to see the criminals escape justice".[11] "This is an assault on humanity" said Khalid Salman, a Haditha councillor and lawyer for the victims.[11] He also said the sentence did not "mean the end" of his legal efforts. "There are orphans, widows and old people who are still suffering and hurting from that terrible massacre. ...If we find no way, we will go to the international courts."[90]

Media

edit

Battle for Haditha is a 2007 drama film directed by British director Nick Broomfield based on the incident.

House Two is a 2018 documentary directed by Michael Epstein that follows the investigation and court case.

Season three of the Peabody Award-winning podcast In the Dark looks further into the military's investigation of the massacre. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, they obtained more than 10,000 pages of documents and never-before-seen photographs from inside the homes.[91]

See also

edit

Incidents

edit

Citations

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Mcgirk, Tim (March 19, 2006). "Collateral Damage or Civilian Massacre in Haditha?". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  2. ^ Surk, Barbara; Mohammed, Faris; Yacoub, Sameer N.; Mizban, Hadi (January 25, 2012). "Iraqi town says justice failed victims of US raid". WPVI-TV. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  3. ^ O'Toole, Fintan (May 26, 2022). "Our Hypocrisy on War Crimes". The New York Review of Books. pp. 10–13, 12. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023.
  4. ^ Burns, Robert (August 2, 2006). "Nearly complete Haditha investigation supports accusations against Marines". Deseret News. Associated Press. ProQuest 351468958. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Whitcomb, Dan (June 18, 2008). "Charges dropped against Marine in Haditha case". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
  6. ^ Mark Walker, Officer: Drop murder charges against Haditha Marine Archived November 17, 2007, at archive.today, North County Times, October 3, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Tony Perry (January 25, 2012). "Marine gets no jail time in killing of 24 Iraqi civilians". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  8. ^ "Marine to serve no time in Iraqi killings case". Fox News. Associated Press. January 24, 2012. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  9. ^ "Iraqi outrage over U.S. Marine's plea deal in Haditha killings" Archived January 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. CNN, January 25, 2012.
  10. ^ a b Mary Slosson (January 23, 2012). "Marine pleads guilty, ending final Haditha trial". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c "Fury over lenient massacre sentence for US marine Frank Wuterich". The Australian. January 26, 2012. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  12. ^ "Sounds Like Murder" 2024, 5:00–5:35; Smith 2017, p. 157; Knarr et al. 2016, pp. 2–7
  13. ^ a b Mahdi, Omer; Carroll, Rory (August 21, 2005). "Under US noses, brutal insurgents rule Sunni citadel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "Sounds Like Murder" 2024, 5:35–6:50; 7:45–8:35
  15. ^ "Sounds Like Murder" 2024, 7:45–8:30, –
  16. ^ Ayres 2014, pp. 87–88; "Sounds Like Murder" 2024, 8:30–9:22
  17. ^ "Sounds Like Murder" 2024, 9:00–9:49
  18. ^ "Victims of the Haditha Massacre". UnitedforPeace.org. Archived from the original on November 20, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2007.
  19. ^ "Patient #8" 2024, 13:26–13:33, 25:46–26:32
  20. ^ a b Josh White, "Marine Officer Receives Immunity in Haditha Killings Case Archived February 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine", Washington Post, April 20, 2007.
  21. ^ "They entered the house as a hostile environment. The rules of engagement permitted them to proceed their entry with hand grenades exploding and going in shooting and that's exactly what happened." Neal Puckett (Wuterich's defense attorney), "Haditha defense lawyer says killings were legal Archived April 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", CNN's "American Morning", June 12, 2006.
  22. ^ a b BBC News "Haditha: Massacre and cover-up? Archived July 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine"
  23. ^ Schmitt, Eric and David S. Cloud (July 8, 2006). "General finds senior Marines lax in Haditha killings probe". Chicago Tribune. New York Times News Service. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  24. ^ Ghosh, Aparisim, "Picking up the Pieces in Haditha Archived June 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine", Time online. Accessed May 30, 2006.
  25. ^ a b c d Perry, Tony; Barnes, Julian E. (May 27, 2006). "Photos Indicate Civilians Slain Execution-Style". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  26. ^ "Request for generals at next Haditha hearing denied Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", North County Times, May 22, 2007.
  27. ^ The Gamble, Thomas E Ricks, p 6
  28. ^ Perry, Tony. "House to Look Into Probe of Pendleton Marines, Los Angeles Times. Accessed May 20, 2006.
  29. ^ Poole, Oliver, "'Worst war crime' committed by US in Iraq Archived February 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", Telegraph.co.uk. Accessed May 27, 2006.
  30. ^ "Death certificates describe in horrific detail how Haditha civilians were killed Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", CNN. Accessed June 1, 2006.
  31. ^ "Pentagon sources: Civilians likely killed without provocation Archived June 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine", CNN. Accessed May 27, 2006.
  32. ^ Baghdad, Ali Hamdani in al-Haditha and Ned Parker in (May 29, 2006). "Marines and the 'massacre': a neighbour tells of aftermath". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  33. ^ "'Simple Failures' and 'Disastrous Results' Archived August 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine", Excerpts from Army Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell's report, Washington Post, April 21, 2007.
  34. ^ a b Broder, John M., "Contradictions Cloud Inquiry Into 24 Iraqi Deaths", New York Times, June 17, 2006.
  35. ^ Falcone, Dan. "Standard Operating Procedure: Forget Obama's Latest, In Order to Move Forward, Look to Guantánamo". Speak Out. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  36. ^ Mattis, James (2019). Call sign chaos : learning to lead. West, Francis J. (First ed.). New York. pp. 165, 166, 167. ISBN 978-0-8129-9683-8. OCLC 1112672474.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  37. ^ Watkins, Thomas; Hoffman, Allison; Caldwell, Alicia; Kadir, Saad Abdul (December 22, 2006). "4 U.S. Marines charged in Iraqi civilian deaths". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  38. ^ a b "8 Marines face charges in Haditha killings Archived 2006-12-30 at the Wayback Machine", CNN. Accessed December 22, 2006.
  39. ^ "U.S. Marines charged with murder in Haditha Archived January 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", Reuters AlterNet. Accessed December 22, 2006.
  40. ^ "Haditha Marine Lt. Andrew Grayson acquitted". Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  41. ^ John McChesney (May 8, 2007). "Haditha Proceedings Begin with Marine Lawyer". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on April 24, 2010. Retrieved April 11, 2012. Stone's lawyer, Charles Gittins, says the Marines are trying to make his client a scapegoat.
  42. ^ Mark Walker, "Officer testifies Marines did nothing wrong at Haditha Archived May 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", North County Times, May 8, 2007.
  43. ^ Mark Oliver and agencies, "Haditha marine 'watched superior kill surrendering civilians'", Guardian Unlimited, May 10, 2007.
  44. ^ "Marine 'witnessed' Haditha killings Archived May 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", Al Jazeera, May 10, 2007.
  45. ^ "Members of an explosive ordnance disposal team that was summoned to the scene scoured the taxi and found no weapons or evidence of bomb-making materials, the defense official said." "Officials: No Support for Marines Claims in Haditha Probe ", Associated Press, January 6, 2007.
  46. ^ "Military Subpoenas CBS Haditha Video, Prosecutors: Unaired "60 Minutes" Footage Has Marine's Admission Of Crimes In Iraq Massacre Archived February 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", CBS News.
  47. ^ "The Killings In Haditha, Charged Marine Tells 60 Minutes He's Sorry Iraqi Civilians Were Killed, But Insists He Made Right Decision Archived April 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", CBS News.
  48. ^ Thomas Watkins (June 20, 2007). "Lesser Charge Recommended Against Marine". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2012. The Marines should pursue a less serious administrative charge against a captain accused of failing to probe the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians because he was "selectively singled out" for prosecution while more senior officers escaped charges, an investigating officer said.
  49. ^ Mark Walker, "Hearing officer: Haditha commander should be court-martialed Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", North County Times, July 11, 2007.
  50. ^ "Marine Cleared In Haditha Massacre". CBS News. July 17, 2008. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  51. ^ Thomas Watkins, "Officer Advises Against Trial for Marine", Associated Press, July 11, 2007.
  52. ^ Alex Roth and Rick Rogers, "Evidence against Marines called weak Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine", San Diego Union Tribune, July 12, 2007.
  53. ^ "Hearing officer recommends charges be dropped in Haditha case". North County Times. August 23, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.
  54. ^ "7 Marines granted immunity in Haditha killings". Associated Press. April 20, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  55. ^ Whitcomb, Dan (August 9, 2007). "Charges dropped against 2 Marines in Haditha case". Yahoo. Retrieved August 26, 2007. [dead link‍]
  56. ^ Carter, Chelsea J. (October 19, 2007). "Courts-Martial for 2 in Haditha Deaths". Associated Press.[dead link‍]
  57. ^ "U.S. officer charges dismissed in Haditha killings Archived July 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine", Reuters.
  58. ^ Perry, Tony (March 29, 2008). "Charges against third Marine dropped in massacre of civilians". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  59. ^ "MILITARY: Charges against Haditha battalion commander dropped". North County Times. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
  60. ^ "Latest North San Diego County headlines". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  61. ^ Perry, Tony (March 18, 2009). "Court upholds dismissal of charges in Haditha case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  62. ^ "Notification of Board of Inquiry" (PDF). United States Marines Corps. August 27, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  63. ^ "Marine Is Acquitted in Iraq Killings Archived February 22, 2017, at the Wayback Machine", New York Times, June 5, 2008.
  64. ^ "Desecration of the dead is as old as war itself". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012.
  65. ^ "US troops 'told to lie' about Iraqi killings". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  66. ^ "Navy Seeks ouster of 2 Marines after Haditha Case". Fox News. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  67. ^ "George Bush Sr. asked retired general to replace Rumsfeld Archived 2008-09-18 at the Wayback Machine", Sidney Blumenthal, Salon, June 8, 2006.
  68. ^ "Maliki: Haditha a terrible crime Archived 2007-04-15 at the Wayback Machine", Al Jazeera, June 4, 2006.
  69. ^ John Dickerson and Dahlia Lithwick, "Home Court Advantage Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine", Slate, June 4, 2006.
  70. ^ Miklaszewski, Jim; Viqueira, Mike (May 17, 2006). "Lawmaker: Marines killed Iraqis 'in cold blood'". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  71. ^ Bowman, Tom. "Pentagon Investigates Alleged Massacre in Iraq Archived July 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine", All Things Considered, National Public Radio Accessed May 19, 2006.
  72. ^ Goldenberg, Suzanne. "Marines may face trial over Iraq massacre", The Guardian. Accessed May 27, 2006.
  73. ^ CNN News, "Lawmaker says Marines killed Iraqis 'in cold blood,' Archived June 15, 2006, at the Wayback Machine"
  74. ^ Josh White "Marine Names Murtha in Defamation Suit Archived November 21, 2007, at Archive-It" Washington Post August 2, 2006.
  75. ^ Pickler, Nedra (April 14, 2009). "Frank Wuterich Murtha Defamation Suit Dies In Court". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
  76. ^ Court Backs Immunity for Haditha Remarks Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Courthouse News Service. July 19, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  77. ^ "Bush's My Lai Archived July 4, 2006, at the Wayback Machine", Robert Parry, consortiumnews.com, May 30, 2006.
  78. ^ a b "Haditha Massacre: Iraq's Mai Lai Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine", Al Jazeera, May 29, 2006.
  79. ^ "Haditha Killings Recall Vietnam's My Lai Archived September 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", Washington Post, June 2, 2006.
  80. ^ "2004 Pulitzer Prize Winners – Investigative Reporting Archived December 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine", The Pulitzer Prizes Archived February 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed November 27, 2006.
  81. ^ (in German) ""In Vietnam war es genauso Archived June 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine", Spiegel Online, accessed June 5, 2006.
  82. ^ The Hell of War Archived July 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine 5 June 2006
  83. ^ Shaw, Martin (March 17, 2008). "My Lai to Haditha: war, massacre and justice". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  84. ^ "Mr. Murtha's Rush to Judgment Archived December 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine", Ilario Pantano, Washington Post, May 28, 2006.
  85. ^ Walker, Mark (April 20, 2007). "Immunity grants may signal problems with Haditha prosecution". North County Times. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  86. ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (December 14, 2011). "Marines' Haditha Interviews Found in Iraqi Junkyard". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  87. ^ "Haditha, Iraq, haunted by Marines' shooting spree". The Washington Post. December 11, 2011. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  88. ^ "Iraq says to take legal action for Haditha victims". Reuters. January 26, 2012. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  89. ^ "US marine spared jail over deaths of unarmed Iraqis". The Guardian. London. January 25, 2012. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
  90. ^ "Haditha residents outraged as Marine avoids jail". The Daily Telegraph. London. January 25, 2012. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  91. ^ "In the Dark: Season 3". The New Yorker. July 16, 2024.

Works cited

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Haditha_massacre&oldid=1261180743"