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Bush Promises to Disclose Haditha Findings NewsMax.com Wires WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Thursday promised to disclose the results of an investigation into reports that Marines killed unarmed civilians in Iraq. "The world will see the full and complete investigation," Bush said.
The U.S. military is conducting at least two investigations into the Nov. 19 killings of 24 people in Haditha, including women and children, following a bomb attack on a military convoy in which a Marine died. The Iraqi government is doing a separate investigation.
"If there is a wrongdoing, people will be held to account," Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
The president said the ethical training ordered for U.S. troops in Iraq following reports that Marines killed unarmed civilians will serve as a reminder of the international rules of war.
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"This is just a reminder - for troops in Iraq or throughout our military - that there are high standards expected of them and that there are strong rules of engagement," said Bush, who said he has spoken to Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the matter several times.
"At the same time what you're seeing is the Marine Corps reminding our troops about what it means to be a Marine - what it means to uphold the honor of that corps, and what it means to adhere to the rules of engagement that we expect our soldiers to adhere to."
The Washington Post reported that a U.S. military investigation into actions taken following the deadly incident in Haditha will conclude that some officers gave false testimony to their superiors.
The Post reported that Marine commanders failed to scrutinize reports adequately, according to an article that first appeared on the paper's Web site Wednesday night.
The probe, which is separate from an investigation into possible criminal actions by Marines also will call for changes in how troops are trained for duty in Iraq, the Post reported.
The Iraqi government announced Thursday its own investigation into the Haditha reports. The decision to begin an Iraqi inquiry was made at a Cabinet meeting, Adnan al-Kazimi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told The Associated Press.
The investigation will be carried out by a special committee made up of the Justice and Human Rights ministries along with security officials, al-Kazimi said.
Military investigators have evidence that points toward unprovoked murders by Marines, a senior defense official said last week.
At first, the American military described what happened as an ambush on a joint U.S.-Iraqi patrol, with a roadside bombing and subsequent firefight killing 15 civilians, eight insurgents and a Marine. The statement said the 15 civilians were killed by the blast, a claim the residents of Haditha strongly denied.
Once that investigation is completed, a senior Marine commander in Iraq will decide whether to press charges of murder or other violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The probe into the actions of officers after the Haditha event is expected to conclude by the end of this week, the Post reported. The criminal investigation is expected to wrap up sometime this summer.
© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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