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Marine tells of order to execute
Haditha women and children
AFP
Friday Aug 31, 2007
A US Marine
was ordered to execute a room full of Iraqi women and children
during an alleged massacre in Haditha that left 24 people dead,
a military court heard Thursday.
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.
Wuterich, dressed in desert khakis, spoke confidently to confirm
his name as the hearing to decide if he faces a court martial
began at the Marines' Camp Pendleton base in southern California.
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.
Mendoza said Marines under Wuterich's command began clearing
nearby houses suspected of containing insurgents responsible for
the bombing.
(Article continues below)
At one house Wuterich gave an order to shoot on sight as Marines
waited for a response after knocking on the door, said Mendoza.
"He said 'Just wait till they open the door, then shoot,'"
Mendoza said.
Mendoza then said he shot and killed an adult male who appeared
in a doorway.
During a subsequent search of the house, Mendoza said 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," Mendoza said.
"I looked at them for a few seconds. Just enough to know
they were not presenting a threat ... they looked scared."
After leaving the room Mendoza told Tatum what he had found.
"I told him there were women and kids inside there. He said
'Well, shoot them,'" Mendoza told prosecutor Lieutenant Colonel
Sean Sullivan.
"And what did you say to him?" Sullivan asked.
"I said 'But they're just women and children.' He didn't
say nothing."
Mendoza said he returned to a position at the front of the house
and heard a door open behind him followed by a loud noise. Returning
later that afternoon to conduct body retrieval, Mendoza said he
found a room full of corpses.
In cross-examination, however, Major Haytham Faraj suggested
a girl who survived the shootings had identified Mendoza as the
gunman, sparking an angry reaction from prosecutors.
"The girl in question already identified another Marine,"
Sullivan stormed. "This is completely unethical, inappropriate
and has no basis in fact."
Mendoza had given similar testimony during a preliminary hearing
against Tatum earlier this year.
Investigating officer Lieutenant Colonel Paul Ware, who is presiding
in Wuterich's hearing, last week recommended dropping murder charges
against Tatum, describing Mendoza's evidence as "too weak".
Prosecutors allege Marines went on a killing spree in Haditha
retaliation for the death of their colleague in the bomb attack.
Defense lawyers will argue that Wuterich followed established
combat zone rules of engagement.
A total of eight Marines were initially charged in connection
with the Haditha deaths.
Four were charged with murder while four senior officers were
accused of failing to properly investigate the killings.
Of the four Marines charged with murder, two have since had charges
withdrawn, while allegations against Tatum are also expected to
be dismissed.
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