Military tribunal investigating Afghan civilian shootings delayed

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Military tribunal investigating Afghan civilian shootings delayed

The Associated Press
Published: October 30, 2007

RALEIGH, North Carolina: A Marine Corps legal tribunal
called to investigate the killing of up to 19 Afghan
civilians earlier this year has been delayed until early
December, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The court of inquiry, a rare legal mechanism last used
in 1956, will examine the roles of two Marines present
during the shootings. It was scheduled to begin
Thursday at Camp Lejeune but was tentatively pushed
back because of scheduling conflicts, said Lt. Col.
Sean Gibson, a Marines spokesman at Central Command.

Mark Waple, an attorney representing one of the Marines,
said the defense asked for the delay so lawyers "could
get through the several thousand pages of information
we have to digest."

As many as 19 people were killed and 50 injured in
March when members of the Marine special operations
company opened fire in a crowded roadway, after their
convoy was rammed by a minivan full of explosives,
Army officials said. The shootings occurred in
Nangahar province.

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Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/30/america/NA-GEN-US-Afghan-Marines-Shooting.php