Posted on 05/30/2006 4:50:16 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
US lawmaker John Murtha today renewed his explosive charge that US soldiers killed unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq and the US military tried to cover it up.
"This is what worries me. We're fighting a war about America's ideals and democracy's ideas and something like this happens, they try to cover it up," Pennsylvania Representative Murtha told CNN television.
"It is as bad as Abu Ghraib, if not worse," Mr Murtha said.
Two separate US military investigations are under way into the killings in November of some 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha.
"They knew the day after this happened that it was not as they portrayed it.
"They knew that they went into the rooms, they killed the people in the taxi. There was no firing at all. And this comes from the highest authority in the Marine Corps, so there's no question in my mind."
The lawmaker, a Democrat and a former Marine, said: "It breaks my heart to think Marines did something like this. And when you hear some of the stories now that are coming out, it just makes it worse than ever."
Yesterday, General Peter Pace, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was too early to pass judgment on the allegations.
"It would be premature for me to judge the outcome" of the Pentagon investigation into the incident, Gen Pace, a marine, told CBS television.
While acknowledging the investigations, Gen Pace said that, if true, the Haditha case was in contrast to "the 99.9 per cent who are doing their job exactly the way the American people expect them to".
US officials said on Saturday that the probes into the November 19 killings were nearing an end and that Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had been briefed on the investigations.
Time magazine reported on Monday that lawmakers were told in briefings last week that some members of the Marine unit involved may soon face charges as serious as murder.
Mr Murtha told CNN that some Iraqi families had been compensated.
"The reason I've been speaking out is Iraqis know about this. This has been all through Iraq. There's no question about it. They paid people $US1500 to $US2500. This doesn't happen unless it comes at the highest authority," Mr Murtha said.
Asked if he meant victims' compensation Mr Murtha said "Yes. And that doesn't happen ... if it's an explosive device".
"For the Marines to do something like this has got to be punished as quickly as possible so the world understands that we don't condone something like this," Mr Murtha said.
Senator John Warner, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has said he would treat the matter like the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal and hold congressional hearings into the incident.
I wish I could, too! I do what I can.....http://www.irey.com/
Would you like to be added to the Irey/Murtha ping list?
BTTT
Thank you for supporting Diana, and indirectly our troops.
As a Marine and Iraq vet myself, this guy disgusts me. I've been walking around mad as hell all morning. Wish I lived in PA so I could work for Diana Irey's campaign, instead I'll send a contribution. They should throw Murtha in the brig and stuff a sock in his mouth, well never mind, that would be torture, right?
Murtha should be hanged!
Trust the Democratic Party to replay "My Lai" all over again, same story, new names, for a new audience. All for political gain.
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