Haditha massacre

In September 2005, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1) deployed to Haditha, an agricultural town along the Euphrates river in western Iraq.{{harvnb|"Sounds Like Murder"|2024|loc=5:00–5:35}}; {{harvnb|Smith|2017|p=157}}; {{Harvnb|Knarr|Alford|Hawkins|Graves|2016|pp=2–7}} Prior to the deployment, a Guardian investigation reported that two Iraqi insurgent groups—Ansar al-Sunna and Al-Qaeda—had taken over operations of the town after driving out local police and civil servants.{{Cite news |last1=Mahdi |first1=Omer |author-link= |last2=Carroll |first2=Rory |author-link2=Rory Carroll |date=2005-08-21 |title=Under US noses, brutal insurgents rule Sunni citadel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/aug/22/iraq.rorycarroll1 |access-date=2024-09-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Although the battalion been told to expect a battle like in Fallujah, where coalition forces had driven out Iraqi insurgents from the city, the marines faced no resistance upon entering Haditha.{{harvnb|"Sounds Like Murder"|2024|loc=5:35–6:50; 7:45–8:35}} In Haditha, the marines established a base inside an abandoned school, which they named Forward Operating Base Sparta (FOB Sparta), and spent their time patrolling the town for insurgent activity.{{harvnb|"Sounds Like Murder"|2024|loc=7:45–8:30, –}}

While Iraqi insurgents were present in Haditha, and the town had been the site of several roadside bombings from makeshift explosives known as IEDs, insurgents rarely directly engaged with marines.{{harvnb|Ayres|2014|pp=87–88}}; {{harvnb|"Sounds Like Murder"|2024|loc=8:30–9:22}} Marines instead spent their time searching for insurgents, seizing munitions, and building rapport with local residents as part of the US military's "hearts and minds" campaign.{{harvnb|"Sounds Like Murder"|2024|loc=9:00–9:49}}

On November 19, 2005, a 3/1 resupply convoy triggered an IED explosion, killing one marine and injuring two others. Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas was killed instantly at 7:15 a.m. Terrazas was driving the Humvee when it was bisected by the explosion. Lance Corporal James Crossan was in the passenger seat and was thrown out of the vehicle and trapped under the rear passenger tire. Private First Class Salvador Guzman was in the back of the vehicle conducting security for the convoy and was thrown from the Humvee. Both Crossan and Guzman were taken to a landing zone to be evacuated for medical attention. Crossan was medically discharged from the Marines due to the wounds he received that day. Guzman returned to active duty after healing and went on a second deployment with 3/1 to Iraq in April 2007.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Five Iraqi men (a taxi driver and four passengers) were ordered out of their car and shot dead in the street, principally by Wuterich. After their deaths, Lieutenant William T. Kallop, according to his statements to investigators, arrived on the scene. Kallop and others reported taking small-arms fire, which they attributed to a nearby house. Kallop gave the order "to take the house".Josh White, "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902862.html Marine Officer Receives Immunity in Haditha Killings Case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227155227/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902862.html |date=February 27, 2018 }}", Washington Post, April 20, 2007. Nineteen of those killed were in three adjacent houses which Marines entered, employing grenades and small arms."They entered the house as a hostile environment. The rules of engagement permitted them to proceed their entry with hand grenades exploding and going in shooting and that's exactly what happened." Neal Puckett (Wuterich's defense attorney), "[http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Haditha_defense_lawyer_says_killings_were_0612.html Haditha defense lawyer says killings were legal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070425202433/http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Haditha_defense_lawyer_says_killings_were_0612.html |date=April 25, 2007 }}", CNN's "American Morning", June 12, 2006. According to Kallop,

The Marines cleared it the way they had been trained to clear it, which is frags first. ... It was clear just by the looks of the room that frags went in and then the house was prepped and sprayed like with a machine gun and then they went in. And by the looks of it, they just ... they went in, cleared the room, everybody was down.

On November 20, 2005, a Marine press release from Camp Blue Diamond in Ramadi reported the deaths of a Marine and 15 civilians. It said the civilians' deaths resulted from a roadside bomb and Iraqi insurgents. The initial U.S. military statement read:

A US marine and 15 civilians were killed yesterday from the blast of a roadside bomb in Haditha. Immediately following the bombing, gunmen attacked the convoy with small arms fire. Iraqi army soldiers and Marines returned fire, killing eight insurgents and wounding another.BBC News "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5033648.stm Haditha: Massacre and cover-up?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060716153701/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5033648.stm |date=July 16, 2006 }}"

Iman Walid, a nine-year-old child who witnessed the incident, described the Marines entering their house. She said:

I couldn't see their faces very well - only their guns sticking in to the doorway. I watched them shoot my grandfather, first in the chest and then in the head. Then they killed my granny.

The director of the local hospital in Haditha, Dr. Wahid, said two American Humvees brought the 24 bodies to the hospital around midnight on November 19. While the Marines claim that the victims had been killed by shrapnel from the roadside bomb and that the men were saboteurs, Wahid said that there were "no organs slashed by shrapnel in any of the bodies". He further claimed that it appeared that "the victims were shot in the head and chest from close range."

Soon after the killings, the mayor of Haditha, Emad Jawad Hamza, led an angry delegation of elders to the Haditha Dam Marine base reportedly complaining to the base captain.

The Marine Corps paid US$38,000 total to the families of 15 of the dead civilians.{{cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/07/08/general-finds-senior-marines-lax-in-haditha-killings-probe/ | title=General finds senior Marines lax in Haditha killings probe | work=Chicago Tribune | date=July 8, 2006 | agency=New York Times News Service | access-date=March 13, 2012 | author=Schmitt, Eric and David S. Cloud | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913204859/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-07-08/news/0607080250_1_2nd-regimental-combat-team-haditha-incident-gen-richard-huck | archive-date=September 13, 2015 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}

File:Haditha massacre (Ayda Yassin Ahmed's family home; hallway).webp

Video shot by the co-founder of the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (HHRO), Taher Thabet, which instigated Tim McGirk's original Time magazine article, and cellphone photos reportedly taken by one of the MarinesGhosh, Aparisim, "[http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1198977,00.html Picking up the Pieces in Haditha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614225938/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1198977,00.html |date=June 14, 2006 }}", Time online. Accessed May 30, 2006. the day after the killings have been put forth as evidence that the killings were methodical and without resistance.{{Cite web |last1=Perry |first1=Tony |last2=Barnes |first2=Julian E. |date=2006-05-27 |title=Photos Indicate Civilians Slain Execution-Style |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-27-fg-marines27-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503033445/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-may-27-fg-marines27-story.html |archive-date=2024-05-03 |access-date=2024-08-20 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} The video showed the bodies of the women and children with gunshot wounds, bullet holes in the interior walls of the house, and bloodstains on the floor. Insufficient evidence has come to light to account for insurgents hiding in the houses that first came under attack.{{clarify|date=July 2018|reason=What does 'account for' mean here? Is this saying there were lots of insurgents hiding in the houses and they just haven't accounted for what happened to them, or is it saying there is insufficient evidence that there were really any insurgents hiding in the houses?}}

{{blockquote|...the only AK-47 that was discovered that day—apparently a household defensive weapon, of the type that is legal and common in Iraq. No one has claimed that the rifle had been fired.|William Langewiesche in "Rules of Engagement", Vanity Fair, November 2006}}

McGirk, who was based in Jerusalem, declined to testify at the hearings."[http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/22/news/top_stories/1_02_125_21_07.txt Request for generals at next Haditha hearing denied] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120822/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/22/news/top_stories/1_02_125_21_07.txt |date=September 29, 2007 }}", North County Times, May 22, 2007.

Upon being told of questions by reporters concerning the Haditha killings, Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli instructed his public affairs office to brief them with the results of the military investigation, only to learn there had been no investigation.The Gamble, Thomas E Ricks, p 6 After video evidence which conflicted with the initial U.S. report was released, Chiarelli ordered a preliminary investigation on February 14, 2006.

Two official U.S. military investigations began. The first, under United States Army Major General Eldon Bargewell, examined how the incident was reported through the chain of command. The second, headed by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, began on March 9, and examined the criminal aspects of the incident.Perry, Tony. "[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-marines20may20,1,5869811.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&track=crosspromo House to Look Into Probe of Pendleton Marines], Los Angeles Times. Accessed May 20, 2006. The conduct of Wuterich, the squad leader, came under scrutiny.

On March 19, 2006, U.S. military officials confirmed that, contrary to the initial report, U.S. Marines, not Iraqi insurgents, killed 15 civilians.

On June 2, 2006, news outlets reported that 24 Iraqis had been killed, none as a result of the bomb explosion.Poole, Oliver, "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/05/27/wus27.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/05/27/ixnews.html 'Worst war crime' committed by US in Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227002011/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F05%2F27%2Fwus27.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F05%2F27%2Fixnews.html|date=February 27, 2008}}", Telegraph.co.uk. Accessed May 27, 2006. This news predated the results of the U.S. military investigation, which found that the 24 unarmed Iraqis—including women and children as young as two years old"[http://edition.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/world/2006/06/01/chilcote.haditha.more.info.affl&wm=10 Death certificates describe in horrific detail how Haditha civilians were killed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095454/http://edition.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=%2Fvideo%2Fworld%2F2006%2F06%2F01%2Fchilcote.haditha.more.info.affl&wm=10|date=March 4, 2016}}", CNN. Accessed June 1, 2006.—were killed by 12 members of K Company."[http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/26/marines.haditha/ Pentagon sources: Civilians likely killed without provocation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627160437/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/26/marines.haditha/|date=June 27, 2006}}", CNN. Accessed May 27, 2006.

The Times published the result of the Bargewell investigation, including eyewitness interviews. It noted that the "official investigation has already resulted in the removal of Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani, the commanding officer, and Captain Luke McConnell and 10-year-veteran Captain James Kimber (born 1973), two company commanders, from their duties."{{Cite web |last=Baghdad |first=Ali Hamdani in al-Haditha and Ned Parker in |date=2006-05-29 |title=Marines and the 'massacre': a neighbour tells of aftermath |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/marines-and-the-massacre-a-neighbour-tells-of-aftermath-qtbgz2v0cnj |access-date=2024-09-06 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}

Bargewell's investigation found:

Statements made by the chain of command during interviews for this investigation, taken as a whole, suggest that Iraqi civilian lives are not as important as U.S. lives, their deaths are just the cost of doing business, and that the Marines need to get "the job done" no matter what it takes. These comments had the potential to desensitize the Marines to concern for the Iraqi populace and portray them all as the enemy even if they are noncombatants."[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002309.html 'Simple Failures' and 'Disastrous Results'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802210504/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/20/AR2007042002309.html|date=August 2, 2017}}", Excerpts from Army Maj. Gen. Eldon A. Bargewell's report, Washington Post, April 21, 2007.

On June 1, 2006, the Associated Press reported that the Iraqi government decided to launch its own probe. Adnan al-Kazimi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, said the decision was made during a Cabinet meeting. The probe was to be carried out by a special committee made up of the Justice and Human Rights ministries, along with security officials.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

On June 17, 2006, the New York Times reported that "Investigators have also concluded that most of the victims in three houses died from well-aimed rifle shots, not shrapnel or random fire, according to military officials familiar with the initial findings."Broder, John M., "Contradictions Cloud Inquiry Into 24 Iraqi Deaths", New York Times, June 17, 2006. Many of those killed had wounds from close-range fire, and their death certificates record "well-aimed shots to the head and chest" as the cause of death.

The U.S. Marines avoided public statements about the killings.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

The intentional killing of noncombatants is prohibited by modern laws of war derived from the United Nations Charter, the Hague Conventions and the Geneva Conventions, and constitutes a war crime. The Marines and officers were subject to courts martial under American military law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Attorney Gary Myers worked on the case. He also had worked on the trial resulting from the My Lai massacre in 1968.{{cite web|last=Falcone|first=Dan|url=http://truth-out.org/speakout/item/16984-standard-operating-procedure-forget-obamas-latest-in-order-to-move-forward-look-to-Guantanamo|title=Standard Operating Procedure: Forget Obama's Latest, In Order to Move Forward, Look to Guantánamo|work=Speak Out|access-date=October 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116041940/http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/16984-standard-operating-procedure-forget-obamas-latest-in-order-to-move-forward-look-to-Guantanamo|archive-date=January 16, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

In his memoir Call Sign Chaos, then I Marine Expeditionary Force commander James N. Mattis explains his experience and actions in relation to the Haditha massacre. He states he read "more than nine thousand pages" of investigative material. He concluded that "several have made tragic mistakes, but others had lost their discipline", which is why he recommended courts-martial for some Marines but not for others. The battalion commander was not aware of the details on the same day of the incident, and the killings were brought to light by a reporter. Mattis relieved the battalion commander from duty because the lack of reporting and because the number of civilian deaths "should have alerted him that something very out of the ordinary ... had occurred." He then recommended letters of reprimand for the division commander and two colonels, stating, "[b]y their actions or inactions, they demonstrated lack of due diligence." This action forced the senior officers to leave active service.{{Cite book|last=Mattis|first=James|title=Call sign chaos : learning to lead|others=West, Francis J.|year=2019|isbn=978-0-8129-9683-8|edition=First|location=New York|pages=165, 166, 167|oclc=1112672474}}File:Haditha massacre (Ayesha Younis Salim).webp

On December 21, 2006, the U.S. military charged eight Marines in connection with the Haditha incident.{{Cite news |last1=Watkins |first1=Thomas |last2=Hoffman |first2=Allison |last3=Caldwell |first3=Alicia |last4=Kadir |first4=Saad Abdul |date=2006-12-22 |title=4 U.S. Marines charged in Iraqi civilian deaths |url=https://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/4-u-s-marines-charged-in-iraqi-civilian-deaths-1545185.php |access-date=2024-09-24 |work=Houston Chronicle |agency=Associated Press}} Four of the eight (Wuterich, Sergeant Sanick P. Dela Cruz, Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt and Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum) were accused of unpremeditated murder."[http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/21/iraq.haditha/ 8 Marines face charges in Haditha killings] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230215242/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/21/iraq.haditha/ |date=2006-12-30 }}", CNN. Accessed December 22, 2006. Tatum was further charged with negligent homicide and assault, while Dela Cruz was also charged with making a false statement. Wuterich was charged with 12 counts of unpremeditated murder against individuals and one count of the murder of six people "while engaged in an act inherently dangerous to others"."[http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21200494.htm U.S. Marines charged with murder in Haditha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070119011308/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21200494.htm |date=January 19, 2007 }}", Reuters AlterNet. Accessed December 22, 2006. The battalion commander, Chessani, was charged with one count of violating a lawful order and two counts of dereliction of duty. First Lieutenant Andrew Grayson was charged with obstruction of justice, dereliction of duty, and making a false statement. (He had been charged with deleting photos of the deceased Iraqis in order to obstruct the investigation. He had also been charged with failing to notify the Marine Corps administrative chain of command of his legal status when his term of service was expired and he was discharged from the Marine Corps.){{cite web |title=Haditha Marine Lt. Andrew Grayson acquitted |url=http://michellemalkin.com/2008/06/05/haditha-marine-lt-andrew-grayson-acquitted/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103131740/http://michellemalkin.com/2008/06/05/haditha-marine-lt-andrew-grayson-acquitted/ |archive-date=January 3, 2012 |access-date=November 28, 2011 |df=mdy-all}} Captain Randy Stone and McConnell were charged with dereliction of duty. Stone also faced an additional count of violating a lawful order.

Testimony in an Article 32 investigation for Stone, equivalent to a civilian grand jury proceeding, began on May 8, 2007.

{{cite news

|url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10069336

|title = Haditha Proceedings Begin with Marine Lawyer

|publisher = National Public Radio

|date = May 8, 2007

|access-date = April 11, 2012

|quote = Stone's lawyer, Charles Gittins, says the Marines are trying to make his client a scapegoat.

|author = John McChesney

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100424133415/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10069336

|archive-date = April 24, 2010

|url-status = live

|df = mdy-all

}}

At the hearing, Kallop, the platoon commander who ordered Marines to "clear" four houses, testified that the rules of engagement were followed and that no mistakes had been made. He stated that a Marine on the scene had reported seeing a suspected insurgent in the vicinity. Kallop also believed that small arms fire was being directed from the first house attacked by the Marines.Mark Walker, "[http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/08/news/top_stories/12_11_025_7_07.txt Officer testifies Marines did nothing wrong at Haditha] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510041155/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/05/08/news/top_stories/12_11_025_7_07.txt |date=May 10, 2007 }}", North County Times, May 8, 2007.

On May 9, Dela Cruz, who received immunity in return for testimony, testified that he watched Wuterich shoot five Iraqis who were attempting to surrender. Dela Cruz further testified that both he and Wuterich fired into the bodies of the five after they were dead, and that he had urinated on one of the dead Iraqis.Mark Oliver and agencies, "[https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,,2076586,00.html Haditha marine 'watched superior kill surrendering civilians']", Guardian Unlimited, May 10, 2007."[http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3FCC27F3-A174-4FD3-ADF7-2A88CCE958DD.htm Marine 'witnessed' Haditha killings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070512003040/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3FCC27F3-A174-4FD3-ADF7-2A88CCE958DD.htm |date=May 12, 2007 }}", Al Jazeera, May 10, 2007.

File:Haditha massacre.jpg

No weapons were found in the white taxi."Members of an explosive ordnance disposal team that was summoned to the scene scoured the taxi and found no weapons or evidence of bomb-making materials, the defense official said." "[https://www.foxnews.com/story/officials-no-support-for-marines-claims-in-haditha-probe Officials: No Support for Marines Claims in Haditha Probe] ", Associated Press, January 6, 2007.

The US military attempted to subpoena material from a 60 Minutes interview with Wuterich, specifically material where Wuterich admitted to ordering his men to "shoot first and ask questions later.""[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/22/iraq/main3862292.shtml Military Subpoenas CBS Haditha Video, Prosecutors: Unaired "60 Minutes" Footage Has Marine's Admission Of Crimes In Iraq Massacre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227145744/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/22/iraq/main3862292.shtml |date=February 27, 2008 }}", CBS News. The interview includes Wuterich insisting he perceived a threat from house 1, but saw no gun fire from that house and that he saw no insurgent enter that house. He suggests he saw the dead family in house 1 and proceeded to assault house 2 based on a guess that the gunman may have entered that house. The Marines knocked on the door of house 2 and when someone came to answer they fired through the door killing what they saw to be an unarmed man. They then assaulted the house and killed the family inside. Wuterich later said he believed there was probably no threat to begin with."[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/15/60minutes/main2574973.shtml The Killings In Haditha, Charged Marine Tells 60 Minutes He's Sorry Iraqi Civilians Were Killed, But Insists He Made Right Decision] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418022536/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/15/60minutes/main2574973.shtml |date=April 18, 2008 }}", CBS News.

The Article 32 investigation recommended Stone's criminal charge be dismissed, but that he face a new lesser charge that would be handled administratively for failing to investigate the incident properly.

{{cite news

|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070620/marines-haditha/

|title=Lesser Charge Recommended Against Marine

|publisher=Huffington Post

|date=June 20, 2007

|access-date=April 11, 2012

|quote=The Marines should pursue a less serious administrative charge against a captain accused of failing to probe the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians because he was "selectively singled out" for prosecution while more senior officers escaped charges, an investigating officer said.

|author=Thomas Watkins

|url-status=live

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218100114/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070620/marines-haditha/

|archive-date=February 18, 2016

}}

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani was recommended to face court-martial for having "failed to thoroughly and accurately report and investigate a combat action that clearly needed scrutiny."Mark Walker, "[http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/12/news/top_stories/1_61_077_11_07.txt Hearing officer: Haditha commander should be court-martialed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111219/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/12/news/top_stories/1_61_077_11_07.txt |date=September 29, 2007 }}", North County Times, July 11, 2007. On June 17, 2008 Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom dismissed all charges against Chessani on the grounds that General James Mattis, who approved the filing of charges against Chessani, was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the incident. The ruling was without prejudice, which allows the prosecution to refile.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marine-cleared-in-haditha-massacre/ |title=Marine Cleared In Haditha Massacre |date=July 17, 2008 |work=CBS News |access-date=June 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926003529/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/17/iraq/main4185854.shtml |archive-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

Lt. Col. Paul Ware, the Investigating Officer for several of the enlisted Marines, recommended on July 11, 2007, that LCpl. Justin Sharratt be cleared of these charges. Ware stated, "[t]he government version is unsupported by independent evidence... To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary."Thomas Watkins, "Officer Advises Against Trial for Marine", Associated Press, July 11, 2007.

Article 32 hearings for Tatum began July 16, and for Wuterich began in August.Alex Roth and Rick Rogers, "[http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070712-9999-1n12haditha.html Evidence against Marines called weak] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715221551/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070712-9999-1n12haditha.html |date=2007-07-15 }}", San Diego Union Tribune, July 12, 2007. The investigating officer recommended charges be dropped against Tatum.{{cite news |url=http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/08/23/news/top_stories/1_00_118_23_07.txt |title=Hearing officer recommends charges be dropped in Haditha case |date=August 23, 2007 |publisher=North County Times |access-date=August 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120559/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/08/23/news/top_stories/1_00_118_23_07.txt |archive-date=September 29, 2007 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

On April 17, 2007, the Marine Corps dropped all charges against Dela Cruz in exchange for his testimony. Seven other Marines involved in the incident were also granted immunity.

{{cite web

| title = 7 Marines granted immunity in Haditha killings

| publisher = Associated Press

| date = April 20, 2007

| url = https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18237072

| access-date = August 26, 2007

| df = mdy-all

}}

On August 9, 2007, all charges against Sharratt, Donahue, and Stone were dropped.{{cite web |last=Whitcomb |first=Dan |date=August 9, 2007 |title=Charges dropped against 2 Marines in Haditha case |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070809/us_nm/usa_marine_haditha_dc |access-date=August 26, 2007 |publisher=Yahoo}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} On October 19, Sharratt's commanding officer decided the charges should be lowered to involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.{{cite news|first=Chelsea J. |last=Carter |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hNUaTPsL6OBHarjCDUGxJ0EYsm9AD8SCLMR00 |title=Courts-Martial for 2 in Haditha Deaths |date=October 19, 2007 |publisher=Associated Press }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}

On September 18, 2007, all charges against McConnell were dropped in exchange for immunity and his cooperation with the investigation."[https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1845602020070918 U.S. officer charges dismissed in Haditha killings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706154650/http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1845602020070918 |date=July 6, 2008 }}", Reuters.

On March 28, 2008, all charges against Tatum were dropped.{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/charges-against-third-marine-dropped-in-massacre-3289913.php|title=Charges against third Marine dropped in massacre of civilians|last=Perry|first=Tony|date=March 29, 2008|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111171047/http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-03-29/news/17167206_1_tatum-s-attorneys-gen-samuel-helland-stephen-tatum|archive-date=January 11, 2012|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

On June 17, 2008, all charges against Chessani were dismissed by the military judge citing unlawful command influence.{{cite news |url=http://nctimes.com/articles/2008/06/17/military/zeca5018258ba2e208825746b005ae619.txt |title=MILITARY: Charges against Haditha battalion commander dropped |date=June 17, 2008 |publisher=North County Times |access-date=June 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202040245/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/06/17/military/zeca5018258ba2e208825746b005ae619.txt |archive-date=December 2, 2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The Marine Corps appealed that ruling in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/05/military/z24633184f0a151da88257494006dd5f0.txt|title=Latest North San Diego County headlines|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=October 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202005445/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08/05/military/z24633184f0a151da88257494006dd5f0.txt|archive-date=December 2, 2008|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{failed verification|date=November 2015}} On March 17, 2009, a military appeals court upheld the dismissal of the war crimes charges against Chessani.{{cite news |title=Court upholds dismissal of charges in Haditha case |first=Tony |last=Perry |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=March 18, 2009 |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-marine18-2009mar18,0,4933729.story?track=rss |access-date=October 24, 2010}} Facing an administrative Board of Inquiry, it also found no misconduct and recommended that Chessani be allowed to retire without loss of rank.{{cite web|url=http://www.thomasmore.org/downloads/sb_thomasmore/ChessaniBOIAugust2009.pdf |title=Notification of Board of Inquiry |publisher=United States Marines Corps |date=August 27, 2009 |access-date=November 18, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928023942/http://www.thomasmore.org/downloads/sb_thomasmore/ChessaniBOIAugust2009.pdf |archive-date=September 28, 2011 }}

On June 5, 2008, Grayson was acquitted of all charges."[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/us/05marine.html Marine Is Acquitted in Iraq Killings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222070352/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/us/05marine.html|date=February 22, 2017}}", New York Times, June 5, 2008.

The court martial of Wuterich, the only defendant to stand trial for the Haditha killings, took place in January 2012. During the trial, Dela Cruz testified that he (Dela Cruz), urinated on the skull of one of the dead Iraqis.{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57358997/desecration-of-the-dead-is-as-old-as-war-itself/ | work=CBS News | title=Desecration of the dead is as old as war itself | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115032850/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501363_162-57358997/desecration-of-the-dead-is-as-old-as-war-itself/ | archive-date=January 15, 2012 }} He also testified, after describing how Wuterich shot the passengers of the car from close range, "Sergeant Wuterich approached me and told me if anyone asks, the Iraqis were running away from the car and the Iraqi army shot them".{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/01/201211242715642773.html|title=US troops 'told to lie' about Iraqi killings|work=aljazeera.com|access-date=October 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116041938/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/01/201211242715642773.html|archive-date=January 16, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} In a plea deal, Wuterich pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty, while charges of assault and manslaughter were dropped. He was convicted of a single count of negligent dereliction of duty on January 24, 2012, receiving a rank reduction and pay cut but avoiding jail time.

In mid April 2012, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus informed Commandant General Jim Amos of the Marine Corps that he had reviewed the Haditha incident and ordered Dela Cruz and Mendoza separated from the Navy after they had testified in the trial of Wuterich. Mabus said in the letter that his review of Dela Cruz and Mendoza's cases "revealed troubling information about their conduct". He cited false statements Dela Cruz made about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of five men found next to a white car at the scene. He said Mendoza also lied and withheld information, without citing specifics. "Such conduct is wholly inconsistent with the core values of the Department of the Navy," Mabus said in the letter to Amos. "You are directed to immediately initiate administrative processing for Dela Cruz and Mendoza for administrative separation in the best interest of the service." During Wuterich's trial, Mendoza and Dela Cruz acknowledged on the witness stand that they had lied to investigators to protect the squad. They told jurors that later they decided it was time to tell the truth. Both Marines were allowed to submit rebuttals to the separation proceeding. Both Marines were separated.{{cite news | url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/navy-seeks-ouster-of-2-marines-after-haditha-case/ | title=Navy Seeks ouster of 2 Marines after Haditha Case | work=Fox News | date=April 19, 2012 | access-date=May 24, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420092917/http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/19/navy-seeks-ouster-2-marines-after-haditha-case/ | archive-date=April 20, 2012 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}

File:Marine Corps oral history recording with General Michael Hagee about the Haditha massacre.ogg discusses the Marine Corps' public relations management of the massacre]]

According to former Democratic advisor Sidney Blumenthal in a Salon Magazine article,

The coverup at Haditha reportedly began instantly. However, an Iraqi journalism student shot a video the day after of the bloodstained and bullet-riddled houses where the massacre had occurred. That video made its way to an Iraqi human rights group and finally to Tim McGirk, a correspondent from Time magazine. When Time made its first queries, the Marine spokesman, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool, who had issued the first statement on Haditha as an action against terrorists months earlier, told reporters that they were falling for al-Qaida propaganda. 'I cannot believe you're buying any of this,'"[http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2006/06/08/haditha/index.html George Bush Sr. asked retired general to replace Rumsfeld] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918030805/http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2006/06/08/haditha/index.html |date=2008-09-18 }}", Sidney Blumenthal, Salon, June 8, 2006. he wrote in an e-mail. Nonetheless, word reached Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the second-highest-ranking U.S. military officer in Iraq, that there had been no investigation and he ordered one immediately.

According to the Los Angeles Times, military and congressional sources distinguished between two squads: the original Marine squad involved in the explosion and shootings, and a Marine intelligence squad that took photos shortly after the shootings. According to LA Times sources, no investigation occurred until after a March 2006 Time magazine story alleging a massacre, even though the intelligence squad's photos were inconsistent with the Marine squad's report of a firefight. According to the LA Times story, military officials blamed the delay of the investigation on the Marine squad's efforts to cover up the events: ...Military officials say they believe the delay in beginning the investigation was a result of the squad's initial efforts to cover up what happened." However, both military and congressional sources said that the "intelligence team" that took photos after the firefight did not appear to participate in any improper action: ...Military and congressional sources said there was no indication that the members of the intelligence team did anything improper or delayed reporting their findings."

The same LA Times story quoted Republican Representative John Kline of Minnesota:

There is no question that the Marines involved, those doing the shooting, they were busy in lying about it and covering it up—there is no question about it. But I am confident, as soon as the command learned there might be some truth to this, they started to pursue it vigorously. I don't have any reason now to think there was any foot dragging.

In June 2006, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the killings and called for a swift investigation, saying: "The crime and misery of Haditha ... is a terrible crime where women and children were eliminated.""[http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=23219 Maliki: Haditha a terrible crime] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415194701/http://english.aljazeera.net/English/archive/archive?ArchiveId=23219 |date=2007-04-15 }}", Al Jazeera, June 4, 2006.

John Dickerson and Dahlia Lithwick of Slate suggested that the Iraqis should be able to put the Marines on trial:

Let's let the Iraqis put the Americans alleged to have committed these crimes on trial. The United States wants to encourage the fledgling Iraqi institution of democracy, right? That's why we wanted Saddam tried in Iraq, and through the Iraqi judicial system--both to build up its legitimacy and to give Iraqis the sense of ownership that comes with having control over the legal process. Why, then, shouldn't we also turn over our own soldiers who were involved in either the Haditha massacre or any of the other possible massacres for trial under the Iraqi justice system?John Dickerson and Dahlia Lithwick, "[http://www.slate.com/id/2142896/ Home Court Advantage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609080416/http://www.slate.com/id/2142896/ |date=June 9, 2007 }}", Slate, June 4, 2006.

On May 17, 2006, Democratic Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine colonel and critic of the war, stated at a news conference that an internal investigation had confirmed the massacre.

{{cite web

| first = Jim

| last = Miklaszewski

| author2 = Viqueira, Mike

| title = Lawmaker: Marines killed Iraqis 'in cold blood'

| work = NBC News

| date = May 17, 2006

| url = http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12838343

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131002124330/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12838343

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = October 2, 2013

| access-date = August 15, 2007

| df = mdy-all

}}

Bowman, Tom. "[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5418814 Pentagon Investigates Alleged Massacre in Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727054631/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5418814 |date=July 27, 2018 }}", All Things Considered, National Public Radio Accessed May 19, 2006.Goldenberg, Suzanne. "[https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,,1784307,00.html Marines may face trial over Iraq massacre]", The Guardian. Accessed May 27, 2006. He was quoted as saying:

There was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.CNN News, "[http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/18/murtha.marines/index.html Lawmaker says Marines killed Iraqis 'in cold blood,'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615193944/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/05/18/murtha.marines/index.html |date=June 15, 2006 }}"

On August 2, 2006, Wuterich, who led the accused squad, filed suit for libel and invasion of privacy. The filing alleged that Murtha "tarnished the Marine's reputation by telling news organizations in May that the Marine unit cracked after a roadside bomb killed one of its members and that the troops 'killed innocent civilians in cold blood'. Murtha also said repeatedly that the incident was 'covered up'."Josh White "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101345.html Marine Names Murtha in Defamation Suit] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20071121164209/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080101345.html |date=November 21, 2007 }}" Washington Post August 2, 2006. Wuterich was charged with nine counts of manslaughter in 2008, and Wuterich's lawsuit against Murtha was dismissed in 2009, as the court had determined Murtha was immune, having made his comments as a lawmaker.{{cite news | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/frank-wuterich-cant-sue-m_n_186706.html | title = Frank Wuterich Murtha Defamation Suit Dies In Court | access-date = September 2, 2011 | last = Pickler | first = Nedra | date = April 14, 2009 | work = The Huffington Post | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606233735/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/14/frank-wuterich-cant-sue-m_n_186706.html | archive-date = June 6, 2011 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }}

On September 25, 2008, Sharratt filed a slander suit against Murtha. The lawsuit stated that "Sharratt, in being labeled repeatedly by Murtha as a 'cold-blooded murderer', and by Murtha outrageously claiming that the Haditha incident was comparable to the infamous (My Lai) massacre of Vietnam, has suffered permanent, irreversible damage to his reputation." In 2011, Sharratt's lawsuit was dismissed by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.[http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/19/38286.htm Court Backs Immunity for Haditha Remarks] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210837/http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/07/19/38286.htm |date=September 23, 2015 }} Courthouse News Service. July 19, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2014.

File:Haditha massacre (Khomeisa Tuma Ali).webp

Many news reports compared the Haditha killings to the 1968 My Lai massacre of 504 villagers during the Vietnam War, with some commentators describing it as "Bush's My Lai","[http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/052906.html Bush's My Lai] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060704040523/http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/052906.html |date=July 4, 2006 }}", Robert Parry, consortiumnews.com, May 30, 2006."[http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=11335 Haditha Massacre: Iraq's Mai Lai] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605084806/http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=11335 |date=2011-06-05 }}", Al Jazeera, May 29, 2006. or "Iraq's My Lai"."[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060200936.html Haditha Killings Recall Vietnam's My Lai] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920082052/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/02/AR2006060200936.html |date=September 20, 2016 }}", Washington Post, June 2, 2006. Very often, the killings have been described as part of a wider pattern of human rights abuses committed by American forces in Iraq. As a Spiegel reporter notes in an interview with Michael Sallah, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation of atrocities committed by the Tiger Force unit in Vietnam,"[http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2004/investigative-reporting/ 2004 Pulitzer Prize Winners – Investigative Reporting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230184725/http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2004/investigative-reporting/ |date=December 30, 2006 }}", [http://www.pulitzer.org/ The Pulitzer Prizes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224184433/http://www.pulitzer.org/ |date=February 24, 2008 }}. Accessed November 27, 2006. "you would have difficulties finding a single newspaper in Germany, or elsewhere in Europe, that does not deal with My Lai, Abu Ghraib, and Haditha in the same commentary."{{in lang|de}} "[http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,419716,00.html "In Vietnam war es genauso] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613003404/http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,419716,00.html |date=June 13, 2006 }}", Spiegel Online, accessed June 5, 2006. Some rejected the comparison, however, including prominent journalist Christopher Hitchens who stated in a June 2006 essay that:

...all the glib talk about My Lai is so much propaganda and hot air. In Vietnam, the rules of engagement were such as to make an atrocity – the slaughter of the My Lai villagers took almost a day rather than a white-hot few minutes – overwhelmingly probable. The ghastliness was only stopped by a brave officer who prepared his chopper-gunner to fire. In those days there were no precision-guided missiles, but there were "free-fire zones", and "body counts", and other virtual incitements to psycho officers such as Capt. Medina and Lt. Calley. As a consequence, a training film about My Lai – "if anything like this happens, you have really, truly screwed up" – has been in use for U. S. soldiers for some time.[http://www.slate.com/id/2143011/ The Hell of War] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701203743/http://www.slate.com/id/2143011/ |date=July 1, 2006 }} 5 June 2006

The most frequent parallel drawn between the My Lai massacre and Haditha massacre is the military instinct to cover-up and whitewash civilian deaths. Professor Martin Shaw pointed out on the analysis website OpenDemocracy,{{cite web |last=Shaw |first=Martin |date=17 March 2008 |title=My Lai to Haditha: war, massacre and justice |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/war_massacre_and_justice_from_my_lai_to_haditha/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924124653/https://www.opendemocracy.net/article/conflicts/asia_pacific/my_lai_haditha |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=October 25, 2015 |work=openDemocracy |df=mdy-all}} that of the 22 officers put on trial for the My Lai massacre, all were acquitted except for Lieutenant William Calley, who served only three and a half years of his life sentence. Shaw observed that "in the few cases in which soldiers have been accused over atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan, convictions have been few and far between."

Comparisons have also been made to the case of Ilario Pantano, who was initially charged with premeditated murder in Iraq but this was dropped after it was determined there was no credible evidence or testimony. Pantano himself has spoken out in defense of the "Haditha Marines", objecting to what he called a "rush to judgement"."[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/27/AR2006052700846_pf.html Mr. Murtha's Rush to Judgment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223020430/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/27/AR2006052700846_pf.html |date=December 23, 2016 }}", Ilario Pantano, Washington Post, May 28, 2006.

It was suggested that the Haditha killings might, like the My Lai Massacre, have resulted in further reduction of American public support for the conflict. The killings have also been compared to killings in Afghanistan, particularly the 2007 Shinwar shooting.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Family, friends, defense lawyers and right-wing radio host Michael Savage strongly criticized the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for its role in the case. They highlighted the string of immunities that were granted as a sign of NCIS bungling.

{{cite web

| first = Mark

| last = Walker

| title = Immunity grants may signal problems with Haditha prosecution

| publisher = North County Times

| date = April 20, 2007

| url = http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/21/news/top_stories/1_02_204_20_07.txt

| access-date = August 26, 2007

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122154/http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/21/news/top_stories/1_02_204_20_07.txt

| archive-date = September 29, 2007

| url-status = live

| df = mdy-all

}}

In December 2011, 400 pages of classified notes from top-secret interviews with US soldiers about the killings were discovered in a dump on the outskirts of Baghdad.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/world/middleeast/united-states-marines-haditha-interviews-found-in-iraq-junkyard.html?pagewanted=all?src=tp | work=The New York Times | first=Michael S. | last=Schmidt | title=Marines' Haditha Interviews Found in Iraqi Junkyard | date=December 14, 2011 | access-date=May 5, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927200445/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/world/middleeast/united-states-marines-haditha-interviews-found-in-iraq-junkyard.html?pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp | archive-date=September 27, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} Also in December 2011, The Washington Post published NCIS photographs of the aftermath of the killings.{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/haditha-iraq-haunted-by-marines-shooting-spree/2011/12/09/gIQAEzJblO_gallery.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=Haditha, Iraq, haunted by Marines' shooting spree | date=December 11, 2011 | access-date=August 29, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728002900/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/haditha-iraq-haunted-by-marines-shooting-spree/2011/12/09/gIQAEzJblO_gallery.html | archive-date=July 28, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}

Iraqis expressed disbelief and voiced outrage after the six-year US military prosecution ended with none of the Marines sentenced to jail. The Iraqi government said that the ruling did "not fit the crime" and that it plans legal action on behalf of families of victims killed.{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-massacre-idUSTRE80P1JA20120126 | work=Reuters | title=Iraq says to take legal action for Haditha victims | date=January 26, 2012 | access-date=July 1, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008110016/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/26/us-iraq-massacre-idUSTRE80P1JA20120126 | archive-date=October 8, 2015 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }} Survivor Awis Fahmi Hussein commented.

I was expecting that the American judiciary would sentence this person to life in prison and that he would appear and confess in front of the whole world that he committed this crime, so that America could show itself as democratic and fair.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/25/us-marine-haditha-case-spared-jail | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=US marine spared jail over deaths of unarmed Iraqis | date=January 25, 2012 | access-date=December 11, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316221130/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/25/us-marine-haditha-case-spared-jail | archive-date=March 16, 2017 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}

Youssef Ayid, who lost four brothers in the Haditha raid, said, "We are sad to see the criminals escape justice". "This is an assault on humanity" said Khalid Salman, a Haditha councillor and lawyer for the victims. He also said the sentence did not "mean the end" of his legal efforts. "There are orphans, widows and old people who are still suffering and hurting from that terrible massacre. ...If we find no way, we will go to the international courts."{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/9037595/Haditha-residents-outraged-as-Marine-avoids-jail.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=Haditha residents outraged as Marine avoids jail | date=January 25, 2012 | access-date=April 4, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927124920/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/9037595/Haditha-residents-outraged-as-Marine-avoids-jail.html | archive-date=September 27, 2018 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}

Battle for Haditha is a 2007 drama film directed by British director Nick Broomfield based on the incident.

House Two is a 2018 documentary directed by Michael Epstein that follows the investigation and court case.

Season three of the Peabody Award-winning podcast In the Dark looks further into the military's investigation of the massacre. Through Freedom of Information Act requests, they obtained more than 10,000 pages of documents and never-before-seen photographs from inside the homes.{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/season-3 | title=In the Dark: Season 3 | magazine=The New Yorker | date=July 16, 2024 }}

{{Portal|Iraq}}

• 2004 Fallujah ambush
• Battle of Haditha
• Human rights in post-invasion Iraq
• Ilario Pantano

• Tal Afar checkpoint shooting
• Ishaqi incident
• Mahmudiyah rape and killings
• Mukaradeeb wedding party massacre
• FOB Ramrod kill team in War in Afghanistan
• Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
• Kandahar massacre

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |last=Ayres |first=Tom |title=Investigating Operational Incidents in a Military Context |date=2014 |publisher=Brill–Nijhoff |isbn=978-90-04-27710-6 |editor-last=Lovell |editor-first=David W. |series=International Humanitarian Law |volume=43 |pages=87–97 |chapter=Haditha: A Case Study in Response to War Crimes |doi=10.1163/9789004277106_007}}
• {{Cite episode |last1=Baran |first1=Madeleine |author-link=Madeleine Baran |title=Sounds Like Murder |url=https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/season-3-episode-3-sounds-like-murder |access-date=2024-09-24 |series=In the Dark |series-link=In the Dark (podcast) |network=The New Yorker |date=2024-08-06 |season=3 |number=3 |ref={{SfnRef|"Sounds Like Murder"|2024}}}}
• {{Cite episode |last1=Baran |first1=Madeleine |author-link=Madeleine Baran |title=Patient #8 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/season-3-episode-9-patient-8 |access-date=2024-09-25 |series=In the Dark |series-link=In the Dark (podcast) |network=The New Yorker |date=2024-09-17 |season=3 |number=9 |ref={{SfnRef|"Patient #8"|2024}}}}
• {{Cite report |last1=Knarr |first1=William |last2=Alford |first2=Dale |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1015541.pdf |title=Al Sahawa—The Awakening Volume III-B: Al Anbar Province, Area of Operations Denver, Hadithah–Hit Corridor |date=May 2016 |publisher=Institute for Defense Analyses |language=en |last3=Hawkins |first3=Mary |last4=Graves |first4=David |last5=Goodman |first5=Jennifer |last6=Dobson |first6=Matthew |last7=Leonard |first7=Carolyn |last8=Frost |first8=John |last9=King |first9=Tracy |last10=Jones |first10=Thomas |last11=Saiegh |first11=Munther |last12=Leonard |first12=Alan |last13=Coursey |first13=Matt |access-date=2024-09-24}}
• {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Thomas W. |title=Human Rights and War Through Civilian Eyes |date=2017 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-4863-0 |pages=149–178 |language=en |chapter=Who's Responsible? Justice and Accountability |jstor=j.ctv2t4c9z.8}}

{{refend}}

• (video) [http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/26/iraqis_voice_outrage_as_us_massacre Iraqis Voice Outrage as Haditha Massacre Trial Ends in No Jail Time for Accused U.S. Marines]'', Democracy Now!, January 26, 2012
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5033648.stm What happened at Haditha?] BBC December 26, 2006
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080307000403/http://www.expose-the-war-profiteers.org/DOD/iraq_II/haditha.htm The Massacre of Haditha - A Document Archive]
• [https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/IraqCoverage/story?id=2617653&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 The Haditha Massacre, One Year Later]
• [http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/11/haditha200611 Rules of Engagement] - November 2006, Vanity Fair
• [https://archive.today/20130105020448/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20070509-9999-7m9haditha.html "Lieutenant testifies about Haditha deaths. Officer stands by call not to investigate."] Steve Liewer, Union-Tribune, May 9, 2007. Describes the charges and the first day of Article 32 hearings of the Haditha trial.
• [https://archive.today/20130416005313/http://archive.truthout.org/camillo-mac-bica-atrocity-and-war59088 Atrocity and War], Truthout, May 2, 2010. Discusses the impact of war upon the warrior.
• {{Cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/57349/output/print |last=Ephron |first=Dan |title=Haditha Unraveled: In a report obtained by NEWSWEEK, the affair's investigator casts doubt on the prosecution's case. |work=Newsweek |date=October 22, 2007

|access-date=October 23, 2007}}

• [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/haditha/ Rules of Engagement: What really happened at Haditha], Frontline PBS television, February 19, 2008
• Madeleine Baran: [https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/in-the-dark/the-haditha-massacre-photos-that-the-military-didnt-want-the-world-to-see The Haditha Massacre Photos That the Military Didn’t Want the World to See], August 27, 2024

{{Iraq War|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haditha Killings}}

Category:Iraq War crimes by the United States

Category:Massacres committed by the United States

Category:Massacres in 2005

Category:Massacres of the Iraq War

Category:Civilian casualties in the Iraq War

Category:United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War

Category:Anbar campaign (2003–2011)

Category:November 2005 in Iraq

Category:Events that led to courts-martial

Category:Extrajudicial killings in Iraq