US lawmaker says 24 Iraqis killed in 2005 incident

[almaty 19]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The civilian death toll in an incident involving American troops in Iraq last year could be about 24, a U.S. congressman said on Friday, noting that a Pentagon probe into whether the troops are criminally responsible for the killings is not yet complete.

Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said two military investigations are being completed after Time magazine reported in March that a U.S. Marine patrol went on a rampage when one of its comrades was killed by a roadside bomb.

"The civilian casualty numbers, I think we're going to see those around the neighborhood of 20 or so people," Hunter, a California Republican, said of the upcoming Pentagon findings.

His office later issued a statement putting the number of deaths at "approximately 24 Iraqi civilians."

Hunter said he would not characterize the deaths as murders or prejudge the outcome of the probes. "I'm not going to go out and jump the investigation and say murders were committed," he told a news conference.

Two days ago, Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said the reports would show that "our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."

After a Marine was killed by an explosive device, Murtha said: "They actually went into the houses and killed women and children. And there was about twice as many as originally reported by Time." He said there was no firefight.

Murtha, a defense hawk who has become a critic of President George W. Bush's Iraq policies, said his information came from "the commanders. It comes from people who know what they're talking about." He said he had not seen the Pentagon reports.

Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the No. 2 U.S. general and top operational commander in Iraq, declined to address the facts of the case or Murtha's account.

"Because the investigation is ongoing, I cannot speak about it, because we are all charged with protecting the integrity of the investigation and the rights of those involved," Chiarelli told reporters at the Pentagon.

"But I do want to state unequivocally that we took these allegations very, very seriously," he said, speaking from Iraq.

Hunter plans to hold hearings on the investigation's findings and "the integrity of the process." He said he had responded to Murtha because he did not want to see U.S. troops "tarred by the acts of one squad."

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran known as a staunch defender of the military, cited the incident as evidence that American troops are under extreme strain in Iraq. He has called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the conflict.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran ...

Deja vú?

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran ...

Deja vú?

wonder if murtha threw his medals over the fence too, and then they mysteriously appeared in his office years later

[kc456 0]

They actually went into the houses and killed women and children.

What else is new? There are so many Iraqis killed, and all that US media report are the US casualties.

[iceyspots 0]

Yeah... that somewhat shows how American lives are valued more highly than people elsewhere in the world... ::sigh:: hundreds of thousands of people have died in Iraq, but one person gets kidnapped and gets 24 hour coverage until their release.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Hunter plans to hold hearings on the investigation's findings and "the integrity of the process." He said he had responded to Murtha because he did not want to see U.S. troops "tarred by the acts of one squad."

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran known as a staunch defender of the military, cited the incident as evidence that American troops are under extreme strain in Iraq. He has called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the conflict.

Of course if there was any wrong-doing it will be hushed up and dealt with 'in-house' as has happened in the past - with the troops involved in friendly fire incidents during the war proper. The individuals might get punished and discharged but the families of the victims will never get closure or anything amounting to an official apology.

The families of people involved in this incident, for example, are still being stonewalled by the US State Department:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/3216383.stm

This is exactly why the US should have and deliberately didn't sign up to the International Criminal Court - doesn't want its troops subjected to a foreign trial, no matter how heinous the crimes they might commit.

And sad to say this is exactly the sort of thing that leads people to the erroneous conclusion that the army is peopled by poorly educated nutjobs with a hard-on for violence. The few arseholes bring down everyone else - it's exactly this sort of thing that undermines all the good work that the others are trying to do and ultimately makes it less safe for other troops in the region.

Edited May 20, 2006 by Fishdude

[almaty 19]

i agree sister icey ..i,,

Hunter plans to hold hearings on the investigation's findings and "the integrity of the process." He said he had responded to Murtha because he did not want to see U.S. troops "tarred by the acts of one squad."

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran known as a staunch defender of the military, cited the incident as evidence that American troops are under extreme strain in Iraq. He has called for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the conflict.

Of course if there was any wrong-doing it will be hushed up and dealt with 'in-house' as has happened in the past - with the troops involved in friendly fire incidents during the war proper. The individuals might get punished and discharged but the families of the victims will never get closure or anything amounting to an official apology.

The families of people involved in this incident, for example, are still being stonewalled by the US State Department:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/3216383.stm

This is exactly why the US should have and deliberately didn't sign up to the International Criminal Court - doesn't want its troops subjected to a foreign trial, no matter how heinous the crimes they might commit.

And sad to say this is exactly the sort of thing that leads people to the erroneous conclusion that the army is peopled by poorly educated nutjobs with a hard-on for violence. The few arseholes bring down everyone else - it's exactly this sort of thing that undermines all the good work that the others are trying to do and ultimately makes it less safe for other troops in the region.

yeap, not winning hearts and minds with this type of action..and there is no excuse for it...none what so ever...killing women and children.