Marine 'ordered to kill women and children'

[Middle finga]

A US Marine was ordered to execute a room full of terrified Iraqi women and children during an alleged massacre in Haditha that left 24 people dead, a military court was told today.

The testimony came in the opening of a preliminary hearing for Marine Sergeant Frank Wuterich, who faces 17 counts of murder over the Haditha killings, the most serious war crimes allegations faced by US troops in Iraq.


The 27-year-old listened intently as Lance Corporal Humberto Mendoza recounted how Marines had responded after a roadside bomb attack on their convoy in Haditha on November 19, 2005 left one comrade dead.

Lance-Cpl Mendoza said Marines under Sgt Wuterich's command began clearing nearby houses suspected of containing insurgents responsible for the bombing.

At one house Sgt Wuterich gave an order to shoot on sight as Marines waited for a response after knocking on the door, said Lance-Cpl Mendoza.

"He said 'Just wait till they open the door, then shoot'.".

Lance-Cpl Mendoza then said he himself shot and killed an adult male who appeared in a doorway.

During a subsequent search of the house he received an order from another Marine, Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, to shoot seven women and children he had found in a rear bedroom.

"When I opened the door there was just women and kids, two adults were lying down on the bed and there were three children on the bed ... two more were behind the bed,'' Lance-Cpl Mendoza said.

"I looked at them for a few seconds. Just enough to know they were not presenting a threat ... they looked scared.''

-Snip-

I am so sick of these little show trials, the real culprits are those criminals in Washington DC and I be glad when someone, a judge or a prosecutor, stands up and say it. What these soldiers did was horrible no doubt but how are yo going to charge them of war crimes when the invasion itself was a war crime. Who do we think we are fooling with these little show trials. If America wants to prove to the world that we are a nation that abides by the rule of law then the Bush Cabal should be the ones in front of a judge.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22339301-38198,00.html

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[MasonJar]

1. He murdered those women and those children because another

Lance Cpl. told him to; why didn't he ask the other soldier why he didn;t nurder the women and children himself? I agree that BUSH & CHENEY must pay, but there comes a time when a man/woman has to do what is right.