US troops have been infamous among Iraqis for their willingness to shoot any Iraqi they see in the aftermath of an insurgent attack. But it is only now that convincing and detailed information is becoming available about the killings.
A U.S. Marine charged with murdering 18 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, said in an interview with CBS’s ‘60 Minutes’ he regretted the deaths but would make the same decisions today. However, the interview is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday.
Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich admitted shooting five unarmed Iraqi men in the back in the interview and said his actions were justified because he believed the men had hostile intent toward the Marines.
What I did that day, the decision that I made, I would make those decisions again today. Those are decisions that I made in a combat situation and I believe I had to make those decisions.
[Source: Reuters]
Iraqi witnesses say enraged Marines shot the civilians to retaliate for the death of a colleague, who was killed by a roadside bomb hours before they started killing people mercilessly.
Maybe, in part, that’s because we were talking about Haditha. If there’s one place where a soldier might surrender to what the military calls ‘combat stress,’ it’s this part of the world where Frank ’s unit was posted. And if he is to blame for the killings or murder then why is the man who led them to such a place on earth having sweet dreams in his bed.
It is sad to see American nation paying for the stupidity and crimes of its leaders.
