U.S. Military Probes Shooting of Iraqi in Falluja

[gldstwmn]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=6820203

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has begun an investigation into possible war crimes after a television pool report by NBC showed a Marine shooting dead a wounded and unarmed Iraqi in a Falluja mosque, officials said on Monday.
The Iraqi was one of five wounded left in the mosque after Marines fought their way in on Friday and Saturday. The U.S. military has accused insurgents in Iraq of using mosques to launch attacks against American forces.

U.S. forces, along with Iraqi government troops, launched an offensive one week ago on Falluja, and have gained overall control of the formerly rebel-held city, although scattered resistance remains.

Maj. Douglas Powell, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon, said the investigation, being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, focused on "possible law of war violations" by U.S. Marines.

The pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack U.S. forces, who stormed it and an adjacent building, killing 10 militants and wounding the five.

Sites said the wounded had been left in the mosque for others to pick up and move to the rear for treatment. No reason was given why that had not happened.

A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be already close to death, Sites said.

He said one Marine noticed one of the prisoners was still breathing.

A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's f***ing faking he's dead. He faking he's f***ing dead."

"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head. The pictures are too graphic for us to broadcast," Sites said. No images of the shooting were shown in the footage provided to Reuters.

The report said the Marine had returned to duty after being shot in the face a day earlier.

Sites said the shot prisoner "did not appear to be armed or threatening in any way."

Powell said the investigation was ongoing and no charges had yet been brought against any of the Marines.

"As soon as the video was brought to the attention of the Marines Corps leadership by the reporter, they immediately pulled the unit off the front lines and launched an investigation," Powell said.

"They're not doing combat operations any more," he added.

[heyjupiter678]

Imagine what goes on when the cameras aren't rolling.

[ontheEdgeof17]

Just another reason why I'm against this war.

[estranged4life]

if ya remove the words "Iraq", "Iraqi" & "Falluja" and add Vietnamese related words instead ya still have the same BS that happened during the Vietnam war??!!!

"Welcome my friends to the War that never ends
Come inside, Come inside"

Brian "Iraq 2004=Vietnam War Part II...Bigger, Longer, Bloodier & Deadlier" j.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by heyjupiter678

Imagine what goes on when the cameras aren't rolling.

I know. Did you see the footage? It was quite disturbing.

[amber]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

I know. Did you see the footage? It was quite disturbing.

it's grotesque. War dehumanizes everyone involved, and i shudder to think what these men will be like/going through when they come back. They already don't have adequate counseling/decompression when they come back to society. Now we have to live with the repercussions of men and women who were forced to enact unspeakable atrocities, having little mental help when they come back. That's just great. it sickens me, and frightens me. Without help, they'll be a bunch of half humans