Haditha slayings were seen as combat-related [Intel declassified]

Los Angeles Times ^ | June 7, 2007. | Tony Perry

[RedRover]

Officers decided that the 24 Iraqi civilian deaths occurred amid a complex insurgent attack, a Marine testifies.

Defending the lack of a war-crimes investigation in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, a Marine intelligence officer testified Wednesday that it appeared the deaths had occurred in the midst of a series of attacks by insurgents that Marines had been strongly warned to anticipate.

Capt. Jeffrey Dinsmore said that Marine officers decided the deaths were combat-related and thus no investigation was warranted. His testimony came during an Article 32 inquiry, similar to a preliminary hearing, for a former battalion commander.

In a sometimes bitter exchange with prosecutors, he denounced the Marine Corps for charging Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani with dereliction of duty.

"Politically, the Marine Corps made a decision to hang Col. Chessani out to dry," said Dinsmore, who has served for 20 years and is now deployed to Iraq. He added that he feels the investigation is hurting the Corps.

< snip >

Dinsmore, in testimony that was videotaped earlier this year, said Marines had developed intelligence prompting them to prepare for a complex attack involving roadside bombs and small-arms fire, with insurgents hiding among civilians in their homes.

The events seemed to fit that pattern, he said: A bomb exploding under a Humvee and a nearby firefight that erupted after Marines stormed three houses and killed 19 civilians inside.

[RedRover]

Sorry that the LA Times is excerpt only. There is also this story from the AP,Officer calls Haditha prosecution politically motivated

[RedRover]

[RedRover]

Eyerolling paragraph from the article...

Prosecutors have suggested that the Marines, wary as a result of their intelligence reports, may have only imagined that they were being fired on after the Humvee was attacked.

[usmcobra]

I would tend to believe our Marines know when they are being fired upon.

There are several tell tail signs.

Like the sound of an AK-47 firing.

the sound of bullets hitting in your area.

The muzzle flashes from buildings.

The impact of bullets in your area or on your vehicle.

Personally I was in a CH-46 flying along over North Carolina when I I heard a loud sound like a tin can being kicked “PING”.

After we landed we found the bullet hole, some people are just not right before their first cup of coffee in the morning.

[PogySailor]

Holy cow! Taking fire over NC?

[usmcobra]

The scary part, it happens all the time.

[Girlene]

The link didn't work for me. How about this one? Los Angeles Times
Their is some very interesting stuff in this article from Capt. Dinsmore's testimony.
Dinsmore, in testimony that was videotaped earlier this year, said Marines had developed intelligence prompting them to prepare for a complex attack involving roadside bombs and small-arms fire, with insurgents hiding among civilians in their homes......

Within minutes of the Humvee blast and house-clearing, another group of Marines was engaged in a firefight about 1,000 yards away in a palm grove. That battle left numerous troops wounded and ended with the Marines calling for an airstrike.

As they later reconstructed the events of the day, Marines were convinced that the bombing and the firefight in the palm grove were part of the same attack, Dinsmore testified.

Two or three days before the killings, Marines had learned that fighters from Syria were in Haditha, waiting to ambush them, Dinsmore said.

After Humvee blast, Marine officers called for an aerial drone to scan the scene. Once it arrived, the firefight at the palm grove was underway, officers have testified.

Among other things, the drone broadcast a picture of an insurgent who had been involved in the palm grove firefight running into a nearby house and emerging with different clothing and carrying a baby.

[2banana]

So how does this explain the rape (or did I get this mixed up with another marine incident?)

[kellynla]

“deaths combat related”

I won’t say “I told ya so”

Now about dropping the charges.

Semper Fi,
Kelly

[RedRover]

I don’t know what you’re talking about. There was no allegation of rape in Haditha (or Hamdania, for that matter).

[Chickenhawk Warmonger]

Among other things, the drone broadcast a picture of an insurgent who had been involved in the palm grove firefight running into a nearby house and emerging with different clothing and carrying a baby.

***********
Funny that little item didn’t make it into the AP story...
Completely exonerates ANYTHING the Marines did at Haditha. Where’s the outrage about the baby?

Great Catch Girlene!

[Tallguy]

Prolly overflew Junior Johnson’s still...

[Tallguy]

Now about dropping the charges.

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly... Didn't you learn anything from the Scooter Libby affair? Once the Media sets the table, and the prosecutors get involved, somebody has to go to jail... (/sarcasm off)

[M1Tanker]

This one got to me. It is yet ANOTHER example of media bias and paraphrasing as a "quote".

The events seemed to fit that pattern, he said: A bomb exploding under a Humvee and a nearby firefight that erupted after Marines stormed three houses and killed 19 civilians inside.

Ok, let us deconstruct this little piece of traitorous propaganda from the LA Times.

1. This is NOT a "quote" as there are no quotation marks. However, the Times makes it seem so. "(H)e said" makes this seem as if the Marine actually SAID this. If he did, then it should be quoted as his earlier statements are. However, I am lead to believe he DID NOT say this but the Times is inserting its bias and drivel.

2.Did the firefight start before or after the Marines "stormed" the house? Again, the word "stormed" is close to "stormtrooper". The military has no tactic called "storm". "Cordon and Search", "Suppress", "Assault" are military tactics, not "storm". None the less, the Times insinuates that the Marines started the attack and did not have a target house. They just started "storming" everything.

3. According to the Times' "quote", which I believe to be a lie, the Marines not only 'stormed' random houses, the "killed 19 civilians inside". I do not think this was confirmed. It was also revealed that some of these "civilians" were positively identified as terrorists. My feeling is that these terrorists were (and the MSM/Left ARE) trying to turn this into another "Fallujah Mosque Massacre" and got caught by the Marines. In Fallujah, the terrorists slaughtered 100+ actual civilians and tried to blame it on the US Military. The truth was out quickly, however, the terrorists and the "anti-war" left still emphatically refer to this "incident" when accusing US Troops of "atrocities".

4. The Times has already "found" the Marines guilty as the terrorists have charged. THE TERRORISTS CHARGED THE MARINES!! Think about that!!! Where is there a requirement to "investigate" actions by American Troops when the TERRORISTS (they are not "insurgents")? The Times is writing the story as if the Marines have already been sentenced and this is all historical "fact". It is NOT! These Marines are SUPPOSED to have a fair trial. Though it seems the media and the left only care about "fairness" or their definition thereof, when it applies to terrorists and anyone who attacks the USA. Not ONE TIME is the word "alleged" used in the story when referring to the Marines' ALLEGED actions. This 'presumption of guilt' in not used for people like congressman William Jefferson or Sandy Berger. Scooter Libby gets slammed by it, but this proves a point also. The media also will NOT use this presumption on terrorists. Bin Laden is still "the alleged" terrorist/mastermind/head of AQ in some MSM stories. Islamic terrorists who slaughter people the world over are referred to as "alleged" even AFTER they take responsibility for their acts.

The more I see of this story and the coverage by the MSM, and from the times I, while deployed, witnessed the MSM and left actually making up stories in Iraq, the more I am convinced the "Day by Day" cartoon today is reality.

[ExcursionGuy84]

Actually....from what I've heard concerning the demographics of the Arab community in North Carolina....it's probably not a wild guess to say that there was a terrorist cell right under your CH-46s flight path.

Several years past, Reader's Digest had a story concerning an FBI take-down of a Hezbollah cell in NC in wich the members were apparently raising money for something that would have been bad for us True Americans.

[jazusamo]

If you would like to help with the civilian lawyer’s legal fees for the
Haditha Marines you can do so by going to these sites.

Defend Our Marines

Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt

SSgt. Frank Wuterich

Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani

Military Combat Defense Fund

[jazusamo]

The rape incident you’re referring to happened in Mahmoudiya in March, 2006 and involved Army personnel.

[Girlene]

The incident was also mentioned in a TMLC press release, post 237 in this FR link Day Four Dispatch from LtCol Chessani Hearing

Although he believed civilian casualties were unfortunate, he [Kallop] knew this to be a sad result of the terrorist tactic--to use women and children as shields and cover. In fact, the previous testimony of Major Carrasco indicated that the last terrorist they found that day went into a house and grabbed a child in order to pretend he was a civilian family member. The only reason the terrorist’s ruse was discovered was that blood was coming from his ears.

Funny how all these reporters leave out sound bites that make the terrorists look guilty that day.

[xzins]

Prosecutors have suggested that the Marines, wary as a result of their intelligence reports, may have only imagined that they were being fired on after the Humvee was attacked.

You mean:

1. These marines were told to expect IEDs.
2. They were told that the enemy uses the IED to launch supporting attacks.

3. That they were hit with an IED.

4. That a car immediately sped up on them.

5. That they came under fire from a row of houses.

6. That they were WARY.

They better be, and if they BELIEVE they're being attacked, and it ends up being ALL THERE IS, then they're still justified in defending themselves according to the ROEs.

Wary people who don't respond to their "beliefs" on the battlefield are called DEAD people.

[beachn4fun]

Personally I was in a CH-46 flying along over North Carolina when I heard a loud sound like a tin can being kicked “PING”. After we landed we found the bullet hole, some people are just not right before their first cup of coffee in the morning.

WHAT THE F*** (pardon my language...hehe)