Marine commanders in Iraq knew within two days of the killings in Haditha in November 2005 that gunfire, not a roadside bomb, had killed Iraqi civilians but they saw no reason to investigate further, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
A senior Marine general familiar with the investigation told the newspaper "It's impossible to believe they didn't know," referring to mid-level and senior officers. "You'd have to know this thing stunk," the general was quoted as saying.
In this relation, a lawyer representing families of some of the two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians allegedly killed by U.S. Marines in Haditha said three or four Marines carried out the shootings while 20 more waited outside the homes. He also said victims' relatives turned down a request by U.S. investigators to exhume the victims' bodies for forensic tests.
Meanwhile, a military investigation into allegations that US soldiers intentionally killed civilians in Ishaqi, a village north of Baghdad, has cleared them of misconduct, the U.S. said Friday - even though it acknowledged the deaths of up to 13 Iraqis in the March raid.
