Investigating the Haditha Killings

Law

Murder Hearing Begins for Marine in Haditha Killings()  

August 30, 2007 The leader of a Marine squad charged with killing 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha faces a military hearing at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Sgt. Frank Wuterich is charged with 18 counts of unpremeditated murder.

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Iraq

Marine Sergeant Faces Hearing on Haditha Killings()  

August 30, 2007 Sgt. Frank Wuterich, the leader of a Marine squad that killed 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha, faces a military hearing at Camp Pendleton, Calif. He is charged with 18 counts of unpremeditated murder in the largest criminal case to emerge from the war in Iraq.

Summary

Law

Some Haditha Cases Seen Weakening()  

July 18, 2007 Seven Marines face charges of murder and dereliction of duty in the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha. But investigative officers are recommending that some charges be reduced, raising questions about whether the government's case is unraveling.

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U.S.

Marine Officers Strategized Their Haditha Responses()  

June 12, 2007 A document in evidence at Camp Pendleton hearings related to the killing of Iraqi civilians in Haditha in November 2005 reveals that Marine officers in charge of the squad discussed how to handle a reporter's questions.

Summary

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Iraq

Marine General Testifies at Haditha Hearing()  

May 11, 2007 A two-star Marine general testifies that he didn't know questions were being raised about the deaths of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha until months after the killings took place.

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U.S.

Military Opens Hearings on Haditha Killings()  

May 8, 2007 Hearings open on what military prosecutors are calling the massacre of 24 Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines outside the town of Haditha. First up is Capt. Randy Stone, one of four officers charged with failing to investigate and report the deaths in November 2005.

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U.S.

Haditha Proceedings Begin with Marine Lawyer()  

May 8, 2007 The military equivalent of a grand jury investigation at Camp Pendleton will focus on Capt. Randy Stone, a Marine lawyer who is accused of failing to investigate the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians.

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Iraq

Charges Filed Against Eight Marines in Haditha Case()  

December 21, 2006 Eight Marines were charged Thursday in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians last year during a bloody, door-to-door sweep in the town of Haditha that came after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb.

Summary

Iraq

Haditha and the Nature of War()  

October 5, 2006 When U.S. Marines allegedly killed 24 unarmed Iraqis in Haditha last year, many called it an aberration. Journalist William Langewiesche saw something else. He explains why he thinks violence is rooted in the nature of war itself. 

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Iraq

Marines May Have Covered Up Haditha Evidence()  

August 18, 2006 A story in Friday's New York Times alleges that U.S. Marines may have destroyed evidence sought by military officials investigating the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians — including women and children — in the town of Haditha last November.

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Map of Haditha
Enlarge

Haditha is a Sunni stronghold located northwest of Baghdad.

Map of Haditha

Haditha is a Sunni stronghold located northwest of Baghdad. U.S. Marines were cleared of wrongdoing in the death of civilians in Ishaqi.

A Timeline of Events

Other Investigations

Hamdania: Seven Marines and a Navy medic have been charged with murder in connection to the April death of an Iraqi civilian in Hamdania. Investigators believe the Marines shot the unarmed man and placed an AK-47 next to him, along with a shovel, to portray him as an insurgent who planted roadside bombs.

Balad: Three U.S. soldiers have been charged with premeditated murder after being accused of shooting three detainees north of Baghdad on May 9 and then threatening to kill a fellow soldier if he told the truth about the incident.

Differences of Opinion

Claims that Marines murdered two dozen Iraqis last year in the city of Haditha have sparked speculation about what really happened there.

This photo from November 19, 2005 shows Iraqi civilians in Haditha loading bodies onto a truck
Reuters/Corbis

This photo from November 19, 2005 shows Iraqi civilians in Haditha loading bodies onto a truck, a family of 15 allegedly shot to death in their home by U.S. Marines.