U.S. Conducts Three More Probes Into Military's Conduct in Iraq

By Alex Morales

06/01/06 -- (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. military, facing allegations that Marines killed civilians in November in western Iraq, is conducting at least three more probes into the conduct of its forces in Iraq, spokesman Major-General William Caldwell said.

The military began a criminal investigation into the Nov. 19 deaths of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha, west of Baghdad, following a March 27 report by Time Magazine that Marines killed unarmed Iraqis.

``There are three or four at least at this time,'' Caldwell told reporters in Baghdad in response to a question about how many other such incidents were under investigation. Caldwell didn't have any details of those probes, and didn't know their status, beyond that they're in ``the first stages,'' he told a news conference carried live on the Pentagon Web site.

U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday he's ``troubled'' by the Haditha accusations, the latest incident to tarnish the image of U.S. forces in Iraq. Bush last week described the 2004 Abu Ghraib prison scandal as the coalition's biggest mistake in Iraq. The military said today it'll conduct moral and ethical training for all troops in Iraq.

``The purpose is to reinforce and sustain training that every member of the coalition forces had before they arrived here,'' Caldwell said. All coalition troops from all countries will be subject to the training, he said.

The military faced worldwide condemnation after photos were published in 2004 showing the abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib jail by U.S. soldiers. Nine Army reservists were charged with mistreating prisoners, including Specialist Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of the abuse, who was sentenced in January 2005 to 10 years in prison.

Women Killed

The U.S. military also said today that two Iraqi women, one of whom may have been pregnant, were shot dead after their car entered a restricted area near a coalition checkpoint. In a separate shooting, a third woman was injured, the U.S. said.

The women who were killed were in a car yesterday that failed to stop after entering the restricted military area in Samarra, ``despite repeated visual and auditory signals,'' the military said in a response to e-mailed questions.

``Disabling shots were fired into the vehicle,'' the military said. ``The vehicle stopped, changed direction, and quickly departed the area. Coalition forces later received reports from the Iraqi police that two females had died from gunshot wounds at the Samarra hospital; and one of the females may have been pregnant.''

`Great Lengths'

The military said the deaths of the two women in Samarra, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Baghdad, were ``regrettable,'' adding that coalition forces go to ``great lengths'' to avoid such incidents. In a separate incident yesterday, another woman was injured when the vehicle in which she was a passenger approached an Iraqi Army checkpoint near the refining town of Bayji, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of Baghdad.

``Coalition troops assisting with security at the joint checkpoint attempted to stop the vehicle,'' with visual and auditory signals, the U.S. military said. ``A soldier fired a single disabling shot at the vehicle resulting in the passenger being wounded. She was immediately treated by coalition medical personnel and evacuated to a military treatment facility where she is recovering.'' Investigations are being conducted to establish the details of the two shootings, the military said.

Caldwell said one of the three other probes may be into an incident near Hamandiyah, west of Baghdad, that was announced by the military on May 24. A criminal investigation was ordered into an April 26, 2006, incident in which Marines allegedly killed an Iraqi civilian, the military said in an e-mailed statement.

`Suspected Involvement'

``Several service members from 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment who have suspected involvement in the incident were removed from operations and have returned to the United States pending the results'' of the probe, the military said.

The Haditha accusations stem from a Nov. 19 incident. According to reports in Time magazine and the Washington Post, Marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians, five in a taxi and then 19 in nearby homes, after one of their comrades was killed in a roadside blast. Time reported this week that three officers were relieved of duty in part because of their role in the killings, and at least some members of the 13-man Marine unit may soon face criminal charges, which may include murder.

``If in fact the laws were broken, there will be punishment,'' Bush said yesterday. The Marines and the Pentagon have declined to discuss the incident because it still is under investigation.

The military at the time said a roadside bomb had killed a U.S. Marine and 15 Iraqi civilians. Directly after the blast, gunmen attacked the convoy, and Iraqi Army soldiers and U.S. Marines returned fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding another, the military said in a Nov. 20 e-mailed statement.

Ethics Training

U.S. Representative John Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania and a war critic, said he's been briefed on the incident and is certain the killings were unprovoked. In a May 28 appearance on ABC's ``This Week'' program, he also accused senior Marine officers of covering up the killings.

The military, following the claims, will require its more than 130,000 troops in Iraq to undergo training in ``core'' values over the next 30 days.

The commander of the multi-national corps in Iraq, Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarelli, ``has directed his subordinate commanders to conduct core warrior values training, highlighting the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield,'' the military said today in an e-mailed statement.

``The training package emphasizes professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat, Iraqi cultural expectations and the second and third order effects of actions that are contrary to professional military values,'' the military said.

The multi-national corps is responsible for operations across Iraq, and is part of the multi-national force led by General George Casey.


To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net.

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