Marine says had sought probe of Haditha killings
Source: Reuters
By Marty Graham CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., May 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine sergeant who pressed for a probe almost immediately after U.S. forces killed 24 Iraqi civilians in November 2005 testified on Wednesday that he was "frustrated" by the apparent indifference of his commanding officers. "We deserve an answer to what happened and I wasn't happy with the answers I was getting," 1st Sgt. Albert Espinosa told a military court. "That's why I kept going back to Capts. (Lucas) McConnell and (Randy) Stone." Espinosa testified at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where a military tribunal is examining evidence against one of the seven Marines facing charges related to the killings at Haditha in the Anbar province. Three Marines have been charged with murder, and four officers with dereliction of duty and obstructing the investigation. The Marine Corps initially said the deaths came from a firefight with insurgents. Reporting by Time magazine in January 2006 prompted the Marine Corps to investigate the killings. Wednesday's hearing reviewed evidence against Capt. Randy Stone, 34, who served as the legal advisor for the Kilo Company. Stone is charged with violating an order and two counts of dereliction of duty in connection with the killings. A few months before the 2005 killings, Bush singled out Stone for praise in a speech marking the 60th anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War Two. Stone, 34, now faces a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a dishonorable discharge. On Nov. 19, a convoy of Marines from the Kilo Company was traveling through the town of Haditha when a roadside bomb detonated, killing one Marine and injuring two others. Surviving Marines stopped a car and shot its five occupants, then swept through two houses, killing the people within. Prosecutors contend it was revenge for the death of the popular Marine, while the Marines involved say it was a clearing operation, conducted under lawful orders that had disastrous results. On Tuesday, Lt. William Kallop, who led the first rescue team to come to the aid of the Marines after the bombing, testified he told Sgt. Frank Wuterich to clear two houses near the bomb site because the Marines suspected the bomb had been triggered from the houses and that insurgents were hiding within.
| AlertNet news is provided by |  |
