[richlevy]

Buried in the mountain of exhibits attached to the once secret Haditha, Iraq murder inquiry prepared by US Army Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell is an obscure Marine Corps intelligence summary (see pdf) that says the deadly encounter was an intentional propaganda ploy planned and paid for by Al Qaeda foreign fighters.

What are you suggesting, that they planted the IED knowing the marines were going to shoot up two households? Or are you suggesting Al Qaeda actually shot the civilians?

It appears that the marines will get off, but noone is using the 'Al Qaeda did it' defense.


From here we see that it is believed the marines did kill the civilians, that the deaths were outside the rules of engagement, but not considered murder. Again, no mention of an Al Qaeda setup.

Al Qaeda may have planted the bomb, but noone is disputing that the marines pulled the triggers.

I said it in another thread and I will say it here. Our troops are not there to protect Iraqis, our troops are there to protect themselves while carrying out patrols and convoys. I don't think any of these guys are going to go out of their way to insure the safety of civilians if it means exposing themselves to more risk. Haditha was just an extreme example of this.

Inside the homes where many Iraqis were killed, including the seven women and children Sergeant Wuterich was accused of killing, marines used grenades and rifles to clear the structures of enemy fighters. No weapons were found in the homes.
In the report, Colonel Ware said he believed that a jury would probably decline to convict Sergeant Wuterich of any crime other than dereliction of duty, for failing to ensure that his men followed the rules of engagement when they fired their weapons, according to a person who has read the document.
“I believe after reviewing all the evidence no trier of fact can conclude that Staff Sgt. Wuterich formed the criminal intent to kill,” Colonel Ware wrote, the person who reviewed the report said. “The evidence is contradictory, the forensic analysis is limited, and almost all the witnesses have an obvious bias or prejudice.”
Several officers were earlier charged with dereliction of duty for failing to properly investigate the episode. Investigators recommended dropping all charges against a battalion lawyer, and last month prosecutors dropped all charges against the commander of Company K, Third Battalion, First Marines .