Special report: Tension accelerates in Iraq
US soldiers accused of murders in
Iraq
Related: U.S. military ends probe of Iraq
killing
BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Evidence collected on the
deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha last November supports accusations that US
marines killed civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon
official said Wednesday.
The Marine Corps and Navy prosecutors are now
reviewing the evidence to determine whether to recommend criminal charges. The
decision may take weeks to make, and the lawyers may ask investigators to probe
further, according to two Pentagon officials who discussed the matter on
condition of anonymity.
"It's fair to say that the majority of the work has
been done," Ed Buice was quoted by Associated Press (AP) as saying, who is
an official of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service that is leading the
probe. "But it's impossible to predict how much longer the investigation will
take. It is very much open and ongoing."
The reason why the case remains open is that
prosecutors and officers in the chain of command of the Marines being
investigated may consult with the naval investigation service even after any
charges are brought, according to AP's report.
The decision on whether to press criminal charges
ultimately will be made by the commander of the accused marines' parent unit,
the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Investigators conducted a wide range of interviews
with Marines in Iraq and with Iraqis in Al-Hadithah, but did not obtain
permission to exhume the bodies of the 24 who were killed, two officials said.
In fact, this case is only one of several
involving alleged unjustified killings of Iraqi civilians that have emerged this
year.
Among the other recent cases of alleged deliberate
killings of Iraqi civilians, seven Marines and one Navy corpsman have been
charged with premeditated murder and other criminal acts in connection with the
killing of an Iraqi man in Al-Hamdaniyah on April 26.
Also, five soldiers and a former soldier have been
charged in the alleged March 12 rape-slaying of an Iraqi female and the killings
of her relatives in Al-Mahmudiyah, according to AP's report.
The cases have damaged the U.S. image abroad and
triggered calls by some Iraqi leaders to end the arrangement under which U.S.
troops are immune from prosecution by Iraqi authorities. Enditem
(Agencies)
