Thread: Haditha A Hoax?

http://www.americanthinker.com/artic...rticle_id=5566

This is a pretty interesting read.

Interesting but I don't think it is a hoax.

It's not a hoax that the people died, no. But the troops may not have done it.

Then who did? Please. Defending this is right up there with saying JFK faked his own assassination and is living in Belize.
Pookie

the right-wingers have their conspiracy theories too.. ~Inky

Inskter, I am a far right-winger. Much farther right than Bush. You will find most true conservatives, like me, do not support the Iraq war or the big-government creating Homeland Security Act.

But on topic here, part of my job is verifying facts versus rumor from official sources. I have spoken with investigators for the US Marine Corps involved in this case, and their findings are that it is quite true. Until they finish the court-martial, I can not go into any details they gave me except what you have already seen published by various press, and will see as the information is released officially.

I'm not jumping to conclusions... ~Inky

I am waiting for the investigation to end but I am tired of the left telling me that it is fact already. Due process seems to work for them but rarely for those with opposing views and especially the military.

The official investigation already ended, and that is why the Marine Corps has brought up charges against the soldiers - because of the results.

Developments
As of 1 June 2006, news outlets are reporting that 24 Iraqis were killed, none as a result of the bomb explosion.[3] The news comes in anticipation of the results of the military's investigation, which is said to find that the 24 unarmed Iraqis—including women and children aged 2 to 76[4]—were killed by 12 members of Kilo Company in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.[5]

According to Sidney Blumenthal in a June 8, 2006 Salon Magazine article, "The coverup at Haditha reportedly began instantly. However, an Iraqi journalism student shot a video the day after of the bloodstained and bullet-riddled houses where the massacre had occurred. That video made its way to an Iraqi human rights group and finally to a correspondent from Time magazine. When Time made its first queries, the Marine spokesman, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool, who had issued the first statement on Haditha as an action against terrorists months earlier, told reporters that they were falling for al-Qaida propaganda. 'I cannot believe you're buying any of this,' he wrote in an e-mail. Nonetheless, word reached Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Iraq, that there had been no investigation and he ordered one immediately."

According to the Los Angeles Times, military and congressional sources distinguished between two squads: the original Marine squad involved in the explosion and shootings, and a Marine intelligence squad that took photos shortly after the shootings. According to LA Times sources, although the intelligence squad's photos were inconsistent with the Marine squad's report of a firefight, no investigation occurred until after a March 2006 Time Magazine story alleging a massacre. According to the story, military officials blamed the delay of the investigation on the Marine squad's efforts to cover up the events:

Military officials say they believe the delay in beginning the investigation was a result of the squad's initial efforts to cover up what happened.

However, both military and congressional sources said that the intelligence team that took photos after the firefight did not appear to participate in any improper action:

[m]ilitary and congressional sources said there was no indication that the members of the intelligence team did anything improper or delayed reporting their findings.

In the same LA Times story, Republican Representative John Kline of Minnesota was quoted as saying:

There is no question that the Marines involved, those doing the shooting, they were busy in lying about it and covering it up — there is no question about it. But I am confident, as soon as the command learned there might be some truth to this, they started to pursue it vigorously. I don't have any reason now to think there was any foot dragging.[6]

Photos taken by the soldiers themselves and video shot by Iraqi student journalist and human-rights worker Taher Thabet [7] the day after the killings have been put forth as evidence that the killings were methodical and without resistance.[2][6] The term "execution-style" has been used by US military officials to describe the killings. [8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haditha_massacre