IRAQ:A United States marine has been charged with 13 counts of murder for killing civilians, including women and children, in the western Iraqi town of Haditha in November 2005.
Staff Sgt Frank Wuterich led the marine squad that military prosecutors say carried out the shootings of 24 unarmed people, most of whom were killed in their homes.
He was charged yesterday with killing 12 of the victims in an incident that followed the death of a marine in a roadside bomb attack.
The Marine Corps initially claimed that 15 Iraqis died in a roadside bomb blast and that eight insurgents died in a firefight with marines. A criminal investigation was launched after Time magazine reported in March that innocent people were killed, citing survivor accounts and human rights groups.
At least two other marines are also facing charges and up to eight marines could ultimately be held accountable for the killings.
Mr Wuterich has claimed that five men in a taxi that came upon the scene shortly after the roadside bomb attack were shot when they fled the vehicle and ignored orders in Arabic. He said that, a short time later, AK-47 shots were heard and marines saw bullets striking the ground near their position. A four-man team that included Mr Wuterich entered one of the homes, tossed a fragmentation grenade into a room where they heard voices and then fired a series of "clearing shots". That pattern was repeated in two other homes.
"Any accusation that the marines 'executed' civilians or deliberately targeted non-combatants is either a horrendous misunderstanding or intentional lie," his lawyers asserted in a court submission.
Mr Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of murdering individuals and one count of murdering six people by ordering the marines under his command to "shoot first and ask questions later" when they entered a house.
The Haditha killings are the most serious case of alleged abuse by marines committed in Iraq or Afghanistan and its outcome may hinge on the rules of engagement given to frontline marines by their superiors.
Marines receive lectures about the laws of war and the need to protect non-combatants before they leave the US and soon after they arrive in Iraq, but Mr Wuterich claims his actions were consistent with those guidelines.