WASHINGTON - Evidence collected on the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha supports accusations that Camp Pendleton, Calif., Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.
The investigation into whether commanders are at fault is also ongoing. No charges have been filed yet.
One of the soldiers being investigated, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, has filed suit against Rep John Murtha (D-PA) alleging that he was libeled by public statements made by the congressman.
The case, to be filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, says Murtha's statements in the press about the case have pressured the Pentagon to pursue charges against Wuterich and other Marines, and to use them as "scapegoats" to prove that allegations of atrocities committed against Iraqis will be pursued, "no matter how baseless."
"The false, misleading and defamatory statements disseminated by Mr. Murtha portray ... Wuterich as a cold-blooded killer, untrained and falling victim to stress, as well as being involved in a cover-up of the tragic events of November 19, 2005," the Marine's lawyers say in the court filing.
"Mr. Murtha has intentionally disseminated with malice his hearsay version of the events of November 19, 2005 with knowledge of the false and libelous nature of the statements contained therein and/or with gross negligence or reckless disregard for the truth," the suit states.
A spokeswoman for Murtha declined to comment, but said the congressman would release a statement later on Wednesday.
Wuterich is suing for damages of at least $75,000, a public apology and an injunction prohibiting publication of allegations against the Marine.
Murtha has come under repeated attack since he broke with Bush over the Iraq war. He is staunchly pro-military and his outspoken defiance of Bush's policies have made him a handy target for Bush supporters.
In order for Wuterich to be successful with his lawsuit, his lawyers are going to have to prove that Murtha actually lied when he spoke about what had happened in Haditha - which might be a tough task since, according to an NBC report in May 'military officials told NBC News that the Marine Corps own evidence appears to show Murtha is right'.
Update: Murtha has released the following statement:
“I don’t blame the staff sergeant for lashing out. When I spoke up about Haditha, my intention was to draw attention to the horrendous pressure put on our troops in Iraq and to the cover-up of the incident.
“Our troops are caught in the middle of a tragic dilemma. The military trains them to fight a conventional war and use overwhelming force to protect U.S. lives. I agree with that policy, but when we use force, we often kill civilians. What are the consequences?
“Three years ago, there were fewer than 500 foreign fighters in Iraq. They were called ‘dead enders.’ Then there were 5,000, and they were called ‘terrorists.’ Now there are 20,000, and the administration calls this ‘sectarian violence.’
“All this time, we’ve had at least 130,000 U.S. troops on the ground in Iraq. In the last year, incidents have increased from 49 per day to 100 per day. About 14,000 Iraqis were killed in the last year, mostly in the last six months. Oil and electricity production are below pre-war level, and unemployment is 60 percent throughout most of the country. Our troops are in 120-degree temperatures with 70 pounds of equipment on their back, and they don’t know who the enemy is.
“This conflict cannot be won militarily. Our troops are caught in the middle of a civil war. It’s well beyond the time to redeploy from Iraq.”
You tell 'em, Jack!
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