|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
|
July 2nd,
2007 - NCIS Confirms It’s Investigating Slayings |
|
NCIS Confirms
It’s Investigating Slayings Law enforcement agency cites ‘credible allegations of wrongdoing’ By Mark Walker North County Times July 2, 2007 10:38 PM PDT North County - An official
probe is under way into "credible allegations" that a group of Camp
Pendleton Marines killed several Iraqi prisoners of war in 2004, federal
investigators confirmed Monday. A spokesman for the Naval
Criminal Investigative Service in Washington confirmed the probe in a written
statement sent to the North County Times in response to an inquiry from the
newspaper last week. The newspaper first reported the matter in its Saturday
editions. "NCIS can confirm that it
is conducting an investigation into credible allegations of wrongdoing made
against U.S. Marines concerning actions said to have taken place in Fallujah
Iraq in the fall of 2004," said the statement from agency spokesman Ed
Buice. Multiple sources have said
the inquiry surrounds five to 10 Marines from Camp Pendleton who took part in
a battle in Fallujah in November 2004. A source with direct
knowledge of the investigation told the North County Times last week that
about 20 current and former Marines have been interviewed and that several
have been read their rights, an indication that criminal charges could
result. Under the Uniform Code of
Military Justice, the killing of a captured enemy combatant who does not
present a threat is considered murder. The Marines are believed to
have been involved in the deaths of as many as eight insurgents who had been
captured during the battle, according to the sources. It remained unclear Monday
whether the Iraqis had been officially declared prisoners and whether any or
all were bound in any way. The incident reportedly took place on or about
Nov. 10, 2004. In the statement issued
Monday, Buice wrote that the NCIS would not say anything further about the
investigation at this point. "The Naval Criminal
Investigative Service is a fact-finding organization and information gathered
will be presented to the appropriate authority who will decide whether
further action is warranted," the statement read. "Beyond
confirming the existence of the investigation, NCIS policy is to make no
comment about the details of an open case." One of the Marines has said
that the troops believed they were carrying out the orders of their
commanders when the insurgents were shot, according to one source. The Department of the Navy
law enforcement agency is composed of civilian investigators who are not
under Marine Corps control. Sources have said the
Fallujah investigation arose as a result of the ongoing prosecution of three
Camp Pendleton enlisted Marines charged with murder in the deaths of 24 Iraqi
civilians in the city of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005. Four officers face charges
of dereliction of duty for failing to fully investigate those deaths. None of the men being
prosecuted in the Haditha case or an incident in Hamdania, Iraq, last year
are subjects of the investigation into the alleged Fallujah killings, a
source said. Some enlisted men whose testimony was sought during recent
hearings in the Haditha incident were pulled from the witness list because
they were involved in the Fallujah investigation. In the Hamdania case, five
of eight Camp Pendleton troops have pleaded guilty for their roles in the
abduction and shooting of a retired Iraqi policeman in April 2006. Three
defendants face trial this summer. The battle for Fallujah was
one of the largest concentrated battles following the March 2003 invasion of
Iraq. It came after the insurgency took control of the city after U.S. forces
left it in April of that year. On Nov. 6, 2004, a main group
of troops from Camp Pendleton's 3rd Battalion, 1st and 5th Marine Regiments,
along with supporting Marine units and U.S. Army forces, massed and launched
an assault to wrest control of Fallujah. Insurgent forces had taken over the
city after U.S. forces had withdrawn in April 2004. Intense fighting took place
during the next week with the final resistance cleared by late December.
Several Camp Pendleton Marines were later honored with awards such as the
Navy Cross for valorous actions during the fighting. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/03/news/top_stories/1_03_147_2_07.txt |