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May 8th,
2007 - Officer Testifies Marines did Nothing Wrong at Haditha |
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Officer Testifies
Marines did Nothing Wrong at Haditha By Mark Walker North County Times May 8, 2007 Camp Pendleton - A platoon
commander in Haditha who ordered Marines to "clear" four houses he
believed insurgents were using as a base of attack testified Tuesday that the
assault was entirely within the rules of engagement. The testimony from Marine
Lt. William Kallop came as the first case in the prosecution of seven Camp
Pendleton Marines charged with criminal wrongdoing in the notorious incident
in which two dozen Iraqi civilians were killed got under way in a base courtroom. Kallop was called as a
witness for Capt. Randy W. Stone, who is charged with dereliction of duty for
not fully investigating the incident that generated a worldwide condemnation
when it came to light. Stone's' attorney Charles
Gittins asked Kallop what the Marines did wrong that day. "Nothing," Kallop
said, adding he did not believe the incident required anything more than a
standard "after-action" review by commanders. Scheduled to head back to
Iraq on Wednesday and granted immunity for his testimony, Kallop said he
conducted a brief inspection of the homes following the assault and said it
appeared that about 15 Iraqis had been killed. He said he directed Staff
Sgt. Frank Wuterich and his men to attack the houses after a Marine reported
seeing a suspected insurgent near one and believing the small arms fire was
being directed from inside the residences. The action followed a roadside bombing
that killed a lance corporal and injured another Marine. "I essentially told them
to try and bust them out - find the (bomb) triggerman, find the
insurgents," Kallop testified. Wuterich later told him the
men used grenades to clear rooms and then followed up with small arms fire. When it was all over, no
weapons were found inside the homes and none of the slain were later
determined to be insurgents. The men did find passports and other material in
one home that they believed were left behind by attackers. Kallop said the troops were
surprised when they didn't find any insurgent bodies or weapons. He also
testified that Cpl. Hector Salinas told him he was certain he had heard AK-47
gunfire coming from one of the homes. "Cpl. Salinas looked
just as shocked as I was," Kallop said of what they saw in the homes
following the assault. Several women and children died in the attack. Stone's attorneys are trying
to convince a hearing officer that their client did nothing improper in his
role as the legal officer for the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment in Iraq
at the time. The 34-year-old Maryland native was not present where the
killings occurred but was responsible for conducting an initial review. Kallop was the first officer
to arrive after the roadside bomb destroyed a Humvee and killed Lance Cpl.
Miguel Terrazas. Kallop said Wuterich told
him that in addition to the people killed inside the homes, five men were
shot and killed after they emerged from a car that drove up moments after the
bombing and refused orders to stop running. Stone was accompanied into
the courtroom by his wife and parents, who sat directly behind him during the
proceedings presided over by Maj. Thomas McCann, a legal affairs officer at
Miramar Marine Corps Air Station. At the conclusion of the government and
defense testimony, McCann will write a report stating whether he believes
Stone should be court-martialed. The prosecution has given
McCann 120 exhibits to consider, and more than 20 witnesses are expected to
testify, including Maj. Gen. Huck, the former commander of the 2nd Marine
Division who was in charge of the Marines in Haditha when the incident took
place on Nov. 19, 2005. Huck will testify later this
week via video hookup from the Pentagon where he is now working. One of his
top aides in Haditha, Col. R. Gary Sokoloski, has invoked his 5th Amendment
privilege and is refusing to testify. Sokoloski is a lawyer who served as
Huck's chief of staff at the time of the killings. Outside of court, Gittins
told reporters that Stone had no obligation to order an investigation. "My client didn't have
any duty to do so," Gittins said. "He would have, but he wasn't
ordered to." Gittins said Kallop was
responsible for telling Marine commanders what had taken place. From there,
it was up to higher-ranking officers than Stone to decide if a probe was
warranted. "Kallop was the first
officer on the scene and he set the scene for the reporting that took place
that day," Gittins said. Stone is one of four
officers accused of dereliction of duty. Wuterich and two lance corporals
face homicide charges for the civilian deaths. The pretrial hearings for
those men take place it the coming weeks. Stone's hearing is expected
to last through Friday. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/08/news/top_stories/12_11_025_7_07.txt |