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December 7th,
2006 - Mattis Said to be Free of Political Influence News
article by North County Times |
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Mattis Said to be Free of Political
Influence Pendleton general at center of Haditha charging decision By Mark Walker North County Times December 7, 2006 North County - People who
know Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis say that despite worldwide condemnation of the
Haditha incident that resulted in the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis, political
pressure won't influence his decision on what charges may be lodged against
Marines facing allegations in the case. The 2005 killings drew
criticism of the U.S. military's rules of engagement and led the commandant
of the Marine Corps to launch a reinforcement of "core values" in
visits to Marines in Iraq and throughout the U.S. earlier this year. Mark Zaid, a lawyer for one
of those said to be facing charges, contends that Mattis faces pressure from
the highest levels of the Pentagon to file charges to show that the military
takes allegations of atrocities seriously. "I think Haditha very
much comes down to the fact that because it was so publicized domestically
and internationally, the Pentagon feels it has to do something," Zaid
said. "I suspect the feeling is that if there are charges and everyone
is acquitted, the military can then say it did its job by conducting a full
investigation and sending the case to court-martial." But Mattis will decide what
to do based solely on the facts, said two former Marine officers who know the
battle-hardened general. "He's a fair guy who's
dedicated his entire life to the Marine Corps and he will do the right thing
for his Marines," said Claude Reinke, a retired Marine Corps major
general and publisher of The Californian, an edition of the North County
Times in Temecula. "He's not the kind of guy who is going to be influenced
by outside pressure - he won't be swayed by that." Mattis, who also is overseeing
the unrelated prosecution of seven Marines and a Navy corpsman in the killing
of an Iraqi civilian in the village of Hamdania earlier this year, faces
duties far beyond the legal cases. He also serves as commander
of the more than 25,000-strong I Marine Expeditionary Force and heads the
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command. Gary Solis, a retired Marine
legal officer who spent more than two decades in the service and now teaches
law at Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown University, said that Mattis' breadth of
experience serves him well, considering all the tasks he on his plate. "Gen. Mattis is one of
the most competent and able leaders there is," Solis said. "No one
could be more properly placed to deal with the multitude of issues he
faces." Mattis has led combat
missions in Afghanistan and headed the 1st Marine Division during the 2003
invasion of Iraq. In 2004, he commanded Marine Corps forces in a major battle
in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah. "He is particularly
attuned to leadership issues, and he never forgets his Marines or where he
has come to from his days as a junior officer," Solis said. Attorney Zaid said his
client, Staff. Sgt. Frank Wuterich, and the other Marines did nothing wrong
and that the civilians were killed in the course of a legitimate response to
the bombing and subsequent small-arms fire. On Tuesday, the Marine Corps
said that Mattis had made an "initial decision" on what actions he
will take as the convening authority over the Haditha investigation and that
prosecutors are finalizing charges. On Nov. 19, 2005, up to 13
Marines from the 3rd platoon of Kilo Company from Camp Pendleton's 3rd
Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment took part in actions that are alleged to have
led to the civilian deaths. The killings, which included
several women and children, happened after a lance corporal died in a massive
explosion triggered as the Humvee he was riding in passed through the city. The Marines then are alleged
to have assaulted a series of nearby homes and killed four men who emerged
from a car that happened upon the scene shortly after the explosion. No known
or suspected insurgents died in the attack. An announcement of what
charges will be filed is expected sometime in the next two weeks and rests
solely with Mattis and his legal advisers, a source familiar with the
investigation told the North County Times. Members of House Armed
Services Committee received a closed-door briefing Wednesday on the
9-month-old Haditha investigation. Rep. Mark Udall, one of 20
House members who heard the briefing, said afterward that up to six Marines
will face charges. The briefing was presented by former Camp Pendleton 1st
Marine Division commander Lt. Gen. Richard Natonski. Martin Terrazas, whose son,
Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas of El Paso, Texas, died in the bombing that
preceded the killings, said he was surprised that some of his son's fellow
Marines may face criminal charges. "It's upsetting, it's
terrible," Terrazas said. "They're making some kind of
mistake." One of the lawmakers who
attended Wednesday's briefing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the
incoming chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said that the
Haditha incident was a tragedy, and that the legal process now must decide if
it was criminal. "What happened at
Haditha was horrific, but it does not reflect the actions of the vast
majority of our brave military men and women who serve with honor," he
said. The Associated Press
contributed to this report. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12/07/military/1_04_3512_6_06.txt Attorney: Napan not being Charged
in Haditha Incident By Dan Ross Napa Valley Register Thursday, December 7, 2006 6:07 AM PST Napa native Luke McConnell
is not among the Marines facing criminal charges in the November 2005 deaths
of 24 Iraqis in Haditha, according to his attorney. McConnell was captain of the
Camp Pendleton-based Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment.
Members of the company and military officials have been under investigation
for the Nov. 19, 2005, incident in Haditha, Iraq, and its aftermath. A report on the deaths of
the Iraqis is due to be released later this month, and it does not implicate
McConnell in any wrongdoing, his attorney, Kevin McDermott, said. “I have not received any
word that Capt. McConnell is in the firing line at all any more,” said
McDermott. “Even with all the rumor mills going on, he is not being looked at
for the events that day.” Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colorado,
told the Associated Press that about six Marines will likely face criminal
charges in the killing of the 24 civilians in Haditha. Udall said he did not
know the precise charges, but he said they were serious. McDermott said the criminal
investigation involves “some of the enlisted kids in that squadron and
perhaps their sergeant, at the very worst their lieutenant.” According to defense
attorneys for some of the men potentially facing charges, the squad was on a
routine mission when a roadside bomb ripped into a Humvee, killing one Marine
and injuring two others. In the aftermath of that
explosion, 24 Iraqis also died. Defense lawyers have said their clients were
following the rules of engagement when they returned fire from several houses
nearby and shot several men in a taxi. The Marines initially
reported after the Nov. 19, 2005, killings at Haditha that 15 Iraqi civilians
had been killed by a makeshift roadside bomb and in crossfire between Marines
and insurgent attackers. Based on accounts from survivors and human rights groups,
Time magazine reported in March that the killings were deliberate acts by the
Marines. A criminal investigation was
then ordered by the top Marine commander in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer. McDermott has said McConnell
was in Haditha on the day of the incident, but was not at the scene, a
statement consistent with media accounts from Iraq. Udall spoke after Lt. Gen.
Richard Natonski gave a briefing to the House Armed Services Committee on the
military’s investigations into the deaths and the likely next steps. “I think all of us in there
were struck by the incident, the number of civilians involved, and the extent
of the tragedy,” said Udall. “There are some questions that still have to be
answered, but it appeared the rules of engagement hadn’t been followed.” In addition to the probe of
the incident, there is a parallel investigation examining whether officers in
the Marines’ chain of command tried to cover up the events. McConnell is not
a target of that investigation, either, McDermott stated Wednesday. “As far as we know, even in
the alleged cover-up, he is not being implicated,” said McDermott. “He was
not there when it occurred. There has never been an issue that (McConnell)
issued an order to carry it out or knew about it if it occurred ... only a
question about a cover-up.” McDermott said there are
also no further internal actions pending against McConnell, who earlier this
year was “relieved of his duties” as captain of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion,
1st Marines after the Haditha incident. Relieving an officer of his command
duties is a routine administrative action during an investigation. “That was the most
significant thing,” said McDermott, “and we are not anticipating anything
more.” Associated Press writers
Thomas Watkins and Erica Werner contributed to this report. External link: http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/12/07/news/local/doc45781c8fdcc3c966764772.txt |