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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
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March 27th,
2008 - Start of Haditha Court Martial Delayed by One Day: US Military |
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Start of Haditha Court Martial
Delayed by One Day: US Military By Agence France Presse March 27, 2008 Los Angeles - The start of
the court martial of a US Marine involved in the killing of 24 Iraqis in the
town of Haditha three years ago has been postponed until Friday, the military
said Wednesday. Proceedings against Lance
Corporal Stephen Tatum had been due to get underway at the Marines Camp
Pendleton base outside San Diego on Thursday but will now not start until the
following day, a statement said. No reason was given for the
delay. Tatum, 27, faces charges of
involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault in
connection with his role in the killing of men, women and children in Haditha
in November 2005. Tatum is accused of killing
two sisters aged five and 14 who were shot dead at close range as Marines
cleared houses in the aftermath of a roadside bombing that claimed the life
of a fellow soldier. If convicted on Tatum could
be jailed for up to 18 years. The deaths were part of a
grim civilian toll from the Marines' actions in Haditha, which initially saw
four soldiers charged with murder and four officers accused of staging a
cover-up. However, since charges
against the soldiers were first announced in late 2006, prosecutors
overseeing the case the Marines' Camp Pendleton base in southern California
have struggled to make the allegations stick. Four of the eight soldiers
have had charges against them dropped, while charges of murder have been
replaced by the lesser offence of manslaughter in the cases of Tatum and his
squad leader Sergeant Frank Wuterich. The killings in Haditha are
the most serious allegations of war crimes levelled at US forces since the
2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. Copyright © 2008 AFP. All
rights reserved. External link: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iFfcKV4PHWUyv5zpdkEeAQvPQQng |