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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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July 26th,
2007 - Marine Testifies He was ‘Frustrated’ by Release of Iraqi Suspects |
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Marine Testifies He was ‘Frustrated’
by Release of Iraqi Suspects By Teri Figueroa North County Times July 26, 2007 11:03 PM PDT Camp Pendleton - A
lieutenant in charge of the squad of troops accused of kidnapping and killing
an Iraqi man last year testified Thursday that he was "frustrated,
agitated and irritated" on learning that suspected insurgents that the
squad had captured had been released by higher authorities. "I send my boys out to
risk their necks to capture these individuals and they are subsequently
released," 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan said. Phan took the stand as a
defense witness for Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, who is a member of a squad of
Camp Pendleton troops accused in the slaying of Hashim Ibrahim Awad in the
rural Iraqi village of Hamdania on April 26, 2006. Phan's testimony may help
explain what led the troops to a plot to kidnap and kill a highly suspected
insurgent, then cover it up. The eight men were accused
of snatching Hashim Ibrahim Awad from bed in the Iraqi village of Hamdania in
the early morning hours of April 26, 2006. Awad was marched about a mile down
the road, where they shot him and then staged the scene to make it appear
that the 52-year-old retired Iraqi policeman had been planting a roadside
bomb. The men had originally
targeted Saleh Gowad, who was a known and wanted insurgent in the area,
according to testimony. When Gowad could not be found, they settled on
snatching Gowad's neighbor. Also on base to take the
stand for Magincalda was Cpl. Trent Thomas, who last week was acquitted of
murder but convicted of conspiracy and other charges for his role in Awad's
death. The jury spared Thomas from jail - he faced up to life in prison - and
instead sentenced him to a bad-conduct discharge. But if or when Thomas will
testify remained unclear Thursday evening. His attorney, Victor Kelley,
contacted at his Alabama home, said he had been unaware of the plan for
Thomas to testify until earlier that day. Kelley said he does not want his
client to take the stand unless he is given immunity. Even though the trial
is over, there are always "collateral" issues that could affect
Thomas if he testifies, Kelley said. Six of the Camp
Pendleton-based men, including Thomas, have been convicted of roles in the
plot. Five of the most junior-ranking of the accused pleaded guilty and
agreed to testify against their squad mates. The men who pleaded guilty
were on the stand this week, testifying for the government in the cases
against Magincalda and squad leader Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins, who are being
court-martialed in separate Camp Pendleton courtrooms. Testimony in the two
hearings yielded little new information not already revealed in previous
public hearings. Pvt. Robert Pennington gave
more detail into the conversation between four of the men - including
Hutchins and Magincalda - as they stood in the moonlight in a palm tree grove
and outlined and narrowed their plot to snatch Gowad. Pennington, who pleaded
guilty and is serving an eight-year sentence for his role, said he was keen
on the idea of killing Gowad. "I was saying, 'Yeah,
he's an (expletive). He needs to die,'" Pennington said. External link: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/27/news/top_stories/22_41_597_26_07.txt |