A US military inquiry into whether marines tried to cover up the killings of Iraqi civilians in Haditha will conclude that some officers gave false reports to their superiors, who then failed to scrutinise the information, according to a newspaper report today.
The Washington Post, citing an unidentified army official, said the three-month investigation was also expected to call for changes in how US troops are trained for duty in Iraq.
The investigation is one of two military investigations into the November 19th killings of 24 men, women and children in the town of Haditha, 200 kilometres northwest of Baghdad in an area that has seen much activity by Sunni Arab insurgents.
A separate ongoing military inquiry found evidence that the killings in Haditha were unprovoked, contradicting an account of the incident by US marines, US officials said yesterday.
The investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, responsible for cases involving marines, might lead to charges including murder, officials said.
The newspaper reported that the army official said there were multiple failures but declined to say whether he would characterise it as a "coverup" - as alleged by Democrat Representative John Murtha.
The Postsaid a final report on the inquiry was expected to be delivered to top commanders by the end of the week.
A new focus on training would begin as early today when General George W. Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, was expected to order all US and allied troops in Iraq receive "core values" training, the newspaper reported.
"Not only will leaders discuss how to treat civilians under the rules of engagement, but small units also will be ordered to go through training scenarios to gauge their understanding of those rules," the report said.