Posted on 03/20/2006 11:48:02 AM PST by TexKat
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shortly after a roadside bomb killed a U.S. Marine in a western Iraqi town, American troops went into nearby houses and shot dead 15 members of two families, including a 3-year-old-girl, residents say.
The military is investigating possible misconduct by the Marines and confirms there is a video, which Time Magazine says shows the aftermath of the Marines' assault.
Residents contacted by The Associated Press described what happened after the Nov. 19 roadside bomb in the town of Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, as "a massacre."
Khaled Ahmed Rsayef, whose brother and six other members of his family were killed in the incident, said the roadside bomb exploded at about 7:15 a.m. in the al-Subhani neighborhood. A U.S. Humvee was badly damaged.
The military acknowledged Monday it was investigating the incident after it was approached by Time with accounts from residents, officials and hospital authorities in Haditha as well as a videotape purportedly showing the aftermath of the incident.
Military officials declined further comment.
A U.S. military statement shortly after the November attack described what happened as an ambush on a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol, with a roadside bombing and subsequent firefight killing 15 civilians, eight insurgents and a U.S. Marine. The statement said the 15 civilians were killed by the blast, a claim the residents strongly denied.
Residents said there only was a roadside bombing, and all the shooting was done by American troops.
Time, in a story in this week's edition, reported that a U.S. colonel went to Haditha for a weeklong probe to interview Marines, survivors and doctors at the morgue. The magazine cited unidentified military officials close to the investigation.
The probe, Time reported, concluded that the civilians were killed by Marines and not a roadside bomb, and that no insurgents appeared to be in the first two houses raided by the Marines.
The probe found, however, that the deaths were the result of "collateral damage," investigators said.
And what is your take on this.............
How do we know the terrorists didn't kill the family members?
"The military is investigating possible misconduct by the Marines and confirms there is a video, which Time Magazine says shows the AFTERMATH of the Marines' assault".
Great, the video show something that the magazine says the Marines did. Not a chance some bad guys did it? Gotta love Times.
If true (probably not) but IF true, it goes to show that one does NOT mess with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Yeah, right! (sarc) Sounds like someone wants some money and free publicity. And the media falls for the ploy hook, line and sinker.
But not them doing it. Me thinks we have another Jenin Massacre..
Who would have taken the video? Were there embedded reporters on the scene?
War is Hell.
It doesn't say until the 3rd paragraph this is regarding an incident last November.
What is your point in posting this flaky accusation?
I just find this so suspicious...that TIME magazine has a video showing the aftermath...
Don't the people over there bury their dead before the day is over??
If so...how could Time get video???
This will sound cold...but if there was a policy to destroy everyone and everything around an area where an IED had just been detonated and had taken American lives, I'll bet the neighbors would be more interested in not letting foreign terrorists set up IEDs in their neighborhood. Maybe enough to kill a few off. I think we need to play a bit rougher than we are.
Stop fighting and the Marines will gladly go home.
It was being discussed on the 5 a.m. news this morning.
Have you been appointed the posting policeman? Is your dandruff up? Are you uneased or something? Shorts a little too tight?
It was on the news over the weekend so apparently someone is bringing it back up again.
Semper Fi!
Once again, grunts are doing the hard work "outside the wire" getting killed in the process. Months later here come the "perfumed princes" of the JAG to second guess split second decisions made by men under fire. JAG officers should be made to endure six month tours as PFCs in infantry companies before ever being asked to investigate so much as a missing library book. One grunt equal about a bazillion JAGs.
Time is so hoping this is true. Nothing would make them happier.
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