Posted on 05/29/2006 8:36:31 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
PHOTOGRAPHS taken by US military intelligence have provided crucial evidence that up to 24 Iraqis were massacred by marines in the insurgent stronghold of Haditha.
One photograph shows an Iraqi mother and young child, kneeling on the floor as if in prayer. They have both been shot dead at close range.
The pictures also show other Iraqi victims, shot execution-style in the head and chest in their ownhomes.
A US government official said the marines involved had "suffered a total breakdown in morality and leadership".
The killings are emerging as the worst known US atrocity of the Iraq war.
At least seven women and three children were among those killed in the massacre.
Witness accounts obtained by The Sunday Times suggest the number of children killed may be as high as six.
"This one is ugly," a US military official said.
In Britain, the chief of the defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, said at the weekend the "appalling" reports of the massacre could undermine British support for the war.
"This sort of accusation does make that harder to achieve," Air Chief Marshal said.
The pictures of the dead, which are being closely guarded by the US military criminal investigation service, were taken by a military photographer who is believed to have arrived on the scene moments after the shootings.
Many US forces are accompanied by photographers to gather intelligence and to shield soldiers from accusations of torture, intimidation and violence.
But the evidence in this case points to a murder rampage by the US marines.
The stain on the US military could prove harder to erase than the photographs of sadistic abuse and torture by US guards at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad.
Comparisons are being made to the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in 1968, in which US troops slaughtered 500 villagers.
Up to a dozen marines may face criminal charges -- including murder, which carries the death penalty -- dereliction of duty and filing false reports.
Three marine commanders were suspended last month.
With a political storm brewing, the top US marine, General Michael Hagee, flew to Baghdad on Friday to tell his troops they must kill "only when justified".
The naval inquiry is focusing on the actions of a sergeant who may have been the leader of a four-man fire team.
Miguel Terrazas, 20, a lance-corporal from El Paso, Texas, was travelling in a convoy of four Humvees in Haditha just after 7am on November 19 last year when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle, killing him and wounding two others.
The events that followed are the subject of two military inquiries due to report soon: one into the facts of the case, the other into a cover-up.
One witness, Aws Fahmi, heard his neighbour, Yunis Salim Khafif, plead for his life in English, shouting: "I am a friend, I am good."
"But they killed him, his wife and daughters," Fahmi said.
Haditha, about 225km northwest of Baghdad, has long been considered a rebel stronghold. It is among a string of Euphrates Valley towns used by insurgents and foreign fighters to infiltrate from Syria to reach Baghdad and the Sunni heartland.
The Sunday Times, AP
if someone says they have evidence on film, what I expect is to see what happened while it was happening, not the remnants....
if the story is true, then our guys will pay for this, sadly......you put a bunch of tough young bucks together in wartime with atrocities happening all around you, then you might just expect some to loose all control.....
ping
BTW, thanks for your service to our country.
Deep into the story before that was mentioned. Oh, it's the ap. Nevermind.
He didn't say that they might be creditable sources, and he didn't defend them. You might want to work on your reading comprehension before you start repeatedly badgering someone again for something he didn't actually say.
ANY Marine deserves the benefit of the doubt, over a bunch of liberal pukes!
He didn't say that they didn't.
Until it is proven otherwise, these Marines are innocent.
The jihadis cannot win on the battlefield, but they can break our will.
These monsters have been trying to pull something like this off since even before we crossed from Kuwait.
A very misleading title, considering that "caught on film" sounds as though someone was caught in the act on video.
As to what actually happened, I'm waiting for the rest of the story.
Only Americans are evil. You know that, woofie.
Suspend judgment! If this case continues to be prosecuted in the media there can be no justice for the Marines.
Suspend judgment! If this case continues to be prosecuted in the media there can be no justice for the Marines.
I'm with you all the way...
I should have been more specific...my feeling of a sense of urgency has nothing to do with these marines...it is with the WOT in general. I just can't shake the feeling that something has changed.
Maybe I am sensing what you refer to as breaking our will. God, I hope not.
It looks like you quoted yourself back to yourself, while attributing your quote to Spruce. Then, you reacted as if reacting to something Spruce had been worrying about, when it was you who had expressed the worry.
Reminds me of Bugs Bunny...everywhere at once. Sheesh. And like the old saying, you run around too much and you wind up meeting yourself coming back.
The President might know something we don't and that might explain whatever "urgency" you feel you heard from him.
Or he might be reacting to the same things we see every day...the Murtha's of the world trying to bring us down. And now the retired Generals trying to destroy Rumsfeld ...
Is Brian Ross A Reliable Reporter?
Brian Ross of ABC News is the reporter behind the story that Rep. Dennis Hastert is being investigated by the Department Of Justice. Ross is sticking to his charges despite vehement denials from both the DOJ and Hastert himself.
Some may recall that Brian Ross has been involved in past journalistic controversies. Just last week, Mr. Ross reported he was tipped off by unnamed "senior federal officials" that his cell phone was tapped by NSA.
Last month, Ross was one of the first (if not the first) to report that Rush Limbaugh "had been arrested." Reports which turned out to be greatly exaggerated, but which Ross never corrected.
In January, Brian Ross was the first to promulgate the claims of the self-proclaimed NSA whistleblower, Russell Tice. Ross treated Tice has a highly credible source even though Tice had been cashiered from the agency due to "psychological problems."
But all of these recent achievements pale in comparison to Mr. Ross’s earlier journalistic lapse, if an earlier entry in Wikipedia is to be believed. For it claimed Ross who was responsible for Dateline NBC’s rigging of truck fuel tanks in 1993.
Here is how the earlier Wikipedia entry for Dateline NBC used to read, via their mirror site at Answers.com:
The image “http://www.abcmedianet.com/showcontent/news/correspondents/i/ross.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
Controversy
On 18 February 1993 Dateline NBC aired an investigative report about General Motors pickup trucks allegedly exploding upon impact during accidents, because fuel tanks were badly designed. Although there were fuel tanks design problems with GM cars before, Dateline’s film showed a sample of a staged low speed accident with the fuel tank exploding. Dateline NBC did not disclose the fact that this accident was staged, or the fact that the only reason there was an explosion was that the vehicle contained planted explosives. The viewers were never told about it. It appeared to be a major discovery of investigative reporters. GM investigators discovered a mistake by a study of the Dateline film. GM subsequently filed an anti-defamation lawsuit against NBC. The lawsuit in question was quickly settled by NBC and as a result Brian Ross and a few persons responsible for the incident were fired from NBC, and Ross found employment with ABC News, where he continues to work to this day.
Nah..it's late...I quoted myself toSpruce following up on my previous post to him/her.
I wanted Spruce to know that I was not referring to the Marines when I expressed that worry....but the WOT in general because of his original response to me.
Therefore,I will start over, LOL!
I have noticed a changed in the air as of late, a new seriousness. Of course, there are things happening we are unaware of, national security being what it is.
I wonder if anyone else has picked upon this or do I need to put the foil away?
(Wow, first time I have been graded on my posts)
Nailed it.
"Where did you run off to?"
This seems to be his style - a hit and run troll. I called him on this on another thread a couple of weeks ago. He responded by questioning my intellect and thanked me for "stopping by". I stand by my first assessment. Mr. Dynamite is a troll. If you're still tuned in, Nobel, I don't answer junk mail.
"They" learned about publicity with Abu Grebe(?) and perhaps think they can really get some mileage out of this?
Since an Iraqi journalism student filmed it (coincidence?) I am wondering if the film shows any soldiers actually doing an evil deed? Or, is everything after the fact with no evidence but the word of perhaps "scared" Iraqi's and the bodies?
If it is prov-en our guys did this then they should be punished. I just find it hard to believe - you see pictures of the kids following them around, playing, etc. Guess I'm just don't trust anyone anymore. Especially the likes of Mr. Mouth.
By the way, did anyone see "We Were Soldiers" Sunday night? A great movie - shows what our guys went through - HELL! Remember how the politicos raked them over the coals?
I haven't passed judgment. I have no idea whether they are guilty or are the victims of a smear campaign.
What I said was that if after a thorough investigation the story proves true then they should receive the maximum punishment available.
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