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CAMP PENDLETON — Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents are examining allegations that Marines killed as many as eight unarmed Iraqi prisoners during a battle in Fallouja in November 2004, according to civilian and military sources. (snip) In the Haditha case, three enlisted Marines face murder charges, and four officers are accused of failing to investigate the killings. Preliminary hearings are underway. (snip) The two cases do not involve any of the same Marines. But some of those being interviewed in the Fallouja case were expected to serve as character witnesses for colleagues accused of murder in the Haditha case. (snip>...

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is probing allegation that eight unarmed Iraqi men were murdered at Fallujah, Iraq in November, 2004. They allegedly died at the hands of Marines once in the same platoon as two Marines already under investigation for murdering 24 civilians in Haditha 18 months ago. The alleged murders were revealed last year by former Corporal Ryan Weemer, once a Marine rifleman from 3rd Platoon, Kilo Company, Third Battalion, 1st Marines. Weemer fought valiantly at the Hell House during the Fallujah battle in November 2004 and sustained three gunshot wounds. He was a fire team leader in...

The U.S. military took the extraordinary step of apologizing for the deadly shooting in Afghanistan earlier this year by Marines that left 19 civilians dead and another 50 wounded. One senior official who has seen the results of the preliminary investigation into the incident says it was "as bad as Haditha," a reference to the 2005 shooting deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians that resulted in three Marines being charged with murder.Like Haditha, the incident was triggered by an explosion targeting a Marine convoy. Witnesses allege the Marines then fired upon civilians gathered at a roadside bazaar and continued to fire...

I have been recording NCIS season 4 episodes for my son who is in Iraq. My recorder did not record Tuesday, May 8's episode and it lays the basis for the season 4 finale.Can anyone send me a copy so I can send it to my son?

NORTH COUNTY -- The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is denying its agents did anything improper when they interrogated Marines in the 2005 slaying of two dozen Iraqi civilians in Haditha.On Tuesday, attorneys representing a senior officer charged in the case, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, asked Navy Secretary Donald Winter for an investigation based on complaints the agents mistreated Camp Pendleton Marines during interviews conducted in Iraq last year.Ed Buice, a spokesman for the investigative service, has since issued a written statement to the North County Times denying any improper conduct by the Navy's law enforcement agency."Naval Criminal Investigative Service practices...

An Honest Investigation Would Have Cleared Lieutenant Pantano in Iraq (and Other Lessons for the Haditha Hearings)Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano was an outstanding Marine officer who did his job, including the hard business of killing the enemy, very well. And then the government told him that he was a murderer. On February 1, 2005, he was charged with premeditated murder and a host of other charges including dereliction of duty and damaging a terrorist’s car. Not a single charge should have been made. The lieutenant had shot and killed two detainees after they made a hostile move toward him. Lieutenant...

Rather than some frenzied killing spree, Sharratt says that the Marines in 3-1 Kilo Company raided 22 homes that day, but only fired their weapons in four instances. They took 30 prisoners, and found weapons, thousands of dollars in US cash, and Jordanian passports, and he says that the allegations they murdered civilians are patently false. "The bottom line is," says Sharratt, "what were the Rules of Engagement that day, and did the Marines of 3-1 Kilo Co. follow them faithfully to the best of their ability? That is what this case will hinge on".

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine lance corporal took the hand of an Iraqi man he had just helped kidnap last year and used it to strike the face of the bullet-riddled victim, a co-defendant in the homicide case testified Thursday. "He took his hand and kind of played with it and made Mr. Awad hit himself," former Petty Officer Melson Bacos said about his squad mate, Lance Cpl. Robert Pennington, during testimony in a Camp Pendleton courtroom. "He said, 'Quit hitting yourself.' "Bacos' testimony came as the government presented evidence that will lead to its sentencing recommendation when the court-martial...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- The attorney for a Marine corporal who pleaded guilty last month to murder in the 2006 shooting death of an Iraqi man now wants his client to withdraw that plea and proceed to trial. Victor Kelley, the attorney for Cpl. Trent Thomas, told a military judge Thursday morning that he now believes that his client was "acting under the color of lawful authority." The defense move came on what was to be the third day of a sentencing hearing for the 25-year-old St. Louis native, who pleaded guilty on Jan. 18 to murder, assault, kidnapping and related...

The U.S. Marines accused of murder and other charges in the case of the Haditha killings in Iraq cannot get a fair trial, says retired Air Force Lt. General Thomas McInerney.Commenting on Rep. John Murtha's outrageous charges that the Marines of Kilo Company had committed cold-blooded murder of civilians in Haditha on November 19, 2005, McInerney said that the Pennsylvania Democrat's declaration "has certainly prejudiced the case."In an exclusive interview with NewsMax.com, the general who served 35 years in the United States Air Force as a pilot, commander, and Joint Force Commander and retired from military service as Assistant Vice...

Our view: Military investigators risking their own cases by failing to use yesterday's technology. Seven years into the 21st century, it's long past time for NCIS to catch up to 20th-century technology.The investigators of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the federal agency responsible for investigating sailors and Marines accused of criminal acts, must immediately start recording their interviews and interrogations of witnesses and suspects with something better than a ballpoint pen. The perils of not doing so are apparent to anyone following the Article 32 hearing of Marine 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan, who stands accused of assaulting three Iraqis in...

A new batch of troops tries to win over Haditha, where 24 civilians were slain by their predecessors.HADITHA, IRAQ — More than a year after two dozen civilians were killed here in what prosecutors call an appalling case of wanton murder by four Marines, a new batch of troops is trying to win the hearts and minds of the public.But as they patrol the narrow, winding streets and try to protect themselves from a deadly, unseen enemy, the November 2005 incident hangs like dust in the air.

Justice Denied!This memorandum by the civilian defense attorney in the 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan Article 32 hearing has just been obtained and is presented here for the first time. MEMORANDUM From: David SheldonTo: Investigating OfficerSubj: Article 32 hearing ICO United States v. PhanDate: 28 January 2007Sir,1. On behalf of my client, I wanted to state for the record the following: (a) The defense believes a classification review should be undertaken without delay. We ask you to make this recommendation; (b) Your recommendation that an investigation into the testimony and conduct of both certain NCIS agents and the three Marines at...

NORTH COUNTY -- An attorney for a Marine lieutenant charged with assaulting three Iraqis last year is alleging that a hearing officer violated his client's right to a fair hearing. David Sheldon contends that actions and comments made by Lt. Col. William Pigott during an Article 32 hearing on Camp Pendleton that ended Sunday were unprecedented in his 16 years as a defense attorney handling dozens of military cases.Pigott presided over a four-day hearing for 2nd Lt. Nathan P. Phan, a 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment platoon commander charged with assaulting Iraqi civilians during efforts to obtain information about insurgent...

The leak of a detailed report into the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha in 2005 may have a wide-ranging impact on the prosecutions of eight Camp Pendleton-based troops charged in the incident, a longtime military attorney said Monday. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, "a lot of legal motions will be filed to dismiss the charges," because the leaks and their press coverage could make it difficult for the defendants to obtain a fair trial, said Jane Siegel, a retired Marine Corps attorney. The attorney, who now works in private practice in San Marcos, is representing another Marine...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Marine officer accused of assaulting three Iraqi civilians last spring is really a hero, a hearing officer was told Sunday."You have a young officer sitting at our end of the table who was trying to protect his Marines," defense attorney Lt. Col. Matthew Cord said at the conclusion of a hearing that will determine if 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan is ordered to court-martial. "He deserves a medal and they're trying to put a knife in his back."Cord's comments came as the hearing for the 26-year-old Phan ended with the presiding officer, Lt. Col. William Pigott, saying...

In a dramatic new twist–and suddenly giving credence to those calling for investigations into government investigative misconduct–an NCIS agent admitted on the stand today that a fellow agent altered a statement taken during the investigation against Lt. Nathan Phan, who is currently in Article 32 phase for allegedly assaulting an Iraqi.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A hearing for a Marine lieutenant accused of assaulting three Iraqis took a dramatic turn Saturday when a witness called in his defense was told he could be facing criminal charges for allegedly lying.Lance Cpl. Andrew Kraus was read his legal rights and informed that he might be charged with making a false official statement and committing perjury during his testimony in a hearing for 2nd Lt. Nathan Phan.The accusation against Kraus came from the lead prosecutor, Maj. Donald Plowman, who told the court he was duty-bound to level the charge.The hearing officer, Lt. Col. William Pigott,...

By: WILLIAM FINN BENNETT - Staff Writer NORTH COUNTY ---- Marine Corps officials confirmed Friday that Lt. Gen. James Mattis has called for an investigation into who leaked documents recently from a massive investigation of the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq. An attorney representing one of eight Camp Pendleton Marines charged in connection with the incident said Friday it was essential Mattis order the probe given the notoriety caused by a Jan. 6 Washington Post article. The newspaper cited interviews with eyewitnesses who allege four of the Marines had gunned down five men. "A lot of...

<p>CAMP PENDLETON ---- A Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent testified this morning that notes he took during an interview with a witness whose recollections are being used in the prosecution of a lieutenant charged with assaulting three Iraqi civilians last spring are in partial conflict with the official statement the government attributes to that witness.</p>