Haditha Killings Trial Set to Start

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Haditha Killings Trial Set to Start
Agence France-Presse | March 26, 2008

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine faces a court martial March 27 in the long-awaited first trial of Marines involved in the killing of 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha three years ago.

Lance Cpl. Stephen Tatum, 27, is accused of killing two sisters aged five and 14 who were shot dead at close range as Marines cleared houses in the aftermath of a roadside bombing that killed a comrade on Nov. 19, 2005.

If convicted on two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of aggravated assault Tatum could be jailed for up to 18 years.

The deaths were part of a grim civilian toll from the Marines' actions in Haditha, which initially saw four Marines charged with murder and four officers accused of staging a cover-up.

However, since charges against the Marines were first announced in late 2006, prosecutors overseeing the case the Marines' Camp Pendleton base in southern California have struggled to make the allegations stick.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,164740,00.html?wh=wh