Charges Imminent for Pendleton Marines in Haditha Civilian Killings

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_re_us/marines_haditha



This June 2, 2006, file photo from television shows Iman Walid Abdul-Hameed in footage shot in Haditha, Iraq. As many as eight Marines could be charged in the shooting deaths of 24 civilians on Nov. 19, 2005, in the Iraqi town of Haditha. Abdul-Hameed, a young girl who said she was in the house when the Haditha shootings occurred, said her brother and several other relatives had been killed. (AP Photo/APTV)



A video still shows covered bodies, which a human rights group says are of a family of 15 shot dead in their home in Haditha, in western Anbar province, Iraq. The U.S. military was expected to announce charges on Thursday against a group of Marines in the killing of 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, following an investigation into what Iraqi witnesses say was a massacre. (Hammurabi Organisation via Reuters TV/Reuters)

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Camp Pendleton officials scheduled a briefing Thursday to announce charges in the shooting deaths of 24 civilians on Nov. 19, 2005, in the Iraqi town of Haditha.

It's unclear how many troops will be named. Lawyers for two Marines already have said they expect their clients will be charged and it's believed up to six others could join them.

The case focuses on motive. What's unclear is whether the civilians were victims of wanton killing by troops angered by the death of a comrade, or people caught in a hellish battle and killed as the Marines attempted to defend themselves from a perceived threat.

The shootings occurred after a roadside bomb killed one Marine from a squad on patrol. In the aftermath of the blast, five Iraqi men were shot as they approached the scene in a taxi and others — including women and children — died as Marines opened fire on a cluster of houses in the area.

Because multiple troops are involved, it's likely prosecutors will seek to offer plea deals to some in return for testimony against the others.