Saturday, June 03, 2006
Military RhetIraq: About Haditha Killings
Who: Corporal James Crossan
Source: The Times UK
Quotes: From article titled, "'Massacre Marines blinded by hate'"
A MEMBER of the US Marines unit accused of murdering 24 unarmed Iraqis said yesterday that his colleagues “were blinded by hate” and lost control before the massacre.
Corporal James Crossan, who was injured in the roadside bomb attack that appears to have triggered the incident, was speaking just before President Bush said that he was troubled by the reports. “If laws were broken there will be punishment,” he said.
Several members of the unit were young and inexperienced and may have snapped after seeing one of their colleagues killed by the bomb, Corporal Crossan said. “I think they were blinded by hate . . . and they just lost control.” Corporal Crossan, who passed out soon after being hit by the bomb in al-Haditha on November 19 last year, said that the unit had a lot of new members. “
They might have got scared or they were just p*****, really p***** off and did it.”
The White House said that details of the military investigations into the killings — in what could be the worst case of criminal misconduct by US troops since the invasion — would be made public.
The incident has sparked two investigations, one into the killings and another into whether they were covered up. Up to a dozen Marines are under investigation and several may face murder charges.
Source: The Times UK
Quotes: From article titled, "'Massacre Marines blinded by hate'"
A MEMBER of the US Marines unit accused of murdering 24 unarmed Iraqis said yesterday that his colleagues “were blinded by hate” and lost control before the massacre.
Corporal James Crossan, who was injured in the roadside bomb attack that appears to have triggered the incident, was speaking just before President Bush said that he was troubled by the reports. “If laws were broken there will be punishment,” he said.
Several members of the unit were young and inexperienced and may have snapped after seeing one of their colleagues killed by the bomb, Corporal Crossan said. “I think they were blinded by hate . . . and they just lost control.” Corporal Crossan, who passed out soon after being hit by the bomb in al-Haditha on November 19 last year, said that the unit had a lot of new members. “
They might have got scared or they were just p*****, really p***** off and did it.”
The White House said that details of the military investigations into the killings — in what could be the worst case of criminal misconduct by US troops since the invasion — would be made public.
The incident has sparked two investigations, one into the killings and another into whether they were covered up. Up to a dozen Marines are under investigation and several may face murder charges.
