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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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June 12th, 2006 - US Marine Denies
Haditha ‘Cover Up’ |
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US Marine Denies Haditha ‘Cover
Up’ Australian Associated Press (AAP) Monday June 12, 06:31 AM A sergeant who led a squad
of US Marines accused of killing 24 Iraqi civilians at Haditha told his
lawyer the unit did not intentionally target civilians, followed rules of
engagement, and did not try to cover up the incident, The Washington Post
reported. The newspaper said Staff
Sergeant Frank Wuterich, 26, told his lawyer several civilians were killed in
November when the squad went after insurgents firing on them from a house.
But Wuterich said there was no vengeful massacre and described a house-to-house
hunt that went awry in a chaotic battlefield, his lawyer said. "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 Puckett, who
represents Wuterich in the investigations of the deaths. "He's really upset that
people believe that he and his marines are even capable of intentionally
killing innocent civilians," he said. The Post said Wuterich's
account was the first public version of what happened in Haditha from a
marine who was on the ground when the shooting occurred. A criminal investigation is
under way into whether some marines deliberately killed civilians. Separate
investigations are looking into whether there was a cover up and whether
commanders were negligent in probing the deaths. Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman Arlen Specter said on the CNN program Late Edition that Congress
should start hearings into the Haditha deaths as soon as possible, even
before the criminal investigation is complete. "I think we need to
have their side of the story," the Pennsylvania Republican said,
referring to the marines. "It's best to do it
soon, do it early, do it before people have a chance to shift their
testimony." Puckett, also appearing on
the program, said Wuterich does not feel let down by his chain of command.
Wuterich is now a sergeant with a different platoon in Camp Pendleton,
California, under no restrictions, he said. Wuterich was in a platoon of
humvees hit by a roadside bomb. He entered a house where marines thought fire
was originating and made the initial radio reports to company headquarters on
the incident, Puckett said. Wuterich told his lawyer the
shootings were the result of a sweep for enemies in a firefight, the Post
reported. He was a member of a four-man team of marines who entered the
house, kicked in the door to a room and tossed a fragmentation grenade
inside. One marine fired clearing shots into the room, killing several
people, Wuterich told his lawyer. They found men, women and
children, most likely civilians, inside, but believed the insurgents had
escaped to another house. They went to that house and used a grenade and
gunfire to clear another room, killing more people, the Post account said. Wuterich called for a stop and
went back to the platoon leader to assess the situation. Puckett said his
client knew a number of civilians had been killed and never tried to obscure
the fact, immediately reporting 12 to 15 civilian deaths. External link:
http://au.news.yahoo.com//060529/2/z5y1.html |