The Haditha Killings (also known as the 'Haditha massacre') refers to the incident where up to 24 Iraqi noncombatant civilians were allegedly killed by the U.S. Marines on November 19, 2005 in Haditha, western Iraq.
Marine Defendants
In June of 2008, Lt. Andrew Grayson was acquitted of charges; four officers were charged in the incident and only Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani is set for court martial. Of the four enlisted Marines charged in the incident, three have had charges dismissed. Only Frank Wuterich remains to be tried.Los Angeles Times: IRAQ: Haditha case dwindles with innocent verdict (June 18, 2008)
Defamation Suit
In August of 2006, Wuterich sued U.S. Congressman John Murtha for defamation, for calling the Hidatha killings "cold blooded murder" and "war crimes". On April 14, 2009, that case was dismissed on the grounds that Murtha was performing his job as congressman when he made the remarks to the press.RCFP: Murtha's immunity claim upheld in defamation suit (April 14, 2009)
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Women and children were among the dead at Haditha- many shot at close range
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Fact:
A US military statement after the killings reported that 15 people had died in a roadside bombing
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Fact:
An Iraqi human rights group made allegations of war crimes resulting in Sergeant Wuterich and three other Marines were charged with murder
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Fact:
Marine Frank Wuterich is accused of leading the killing in the Haditha Killings
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August 30, 2007
Article 32 trial to decide whether Sergeant Wuterich broke US military's rules of engagement
