Haditha incident
| Haditha killings | |
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A picture taken at the scene of the Haditha incident shows several dead Iraq civilians who were killed by Marines.
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| Location | Haditha, Al Anbar Province, Iraq |
| Coordinates | 34°08′23″N 42°22′41″E / 34.13972°N 42.37806°E |
| Date | November 19, 2005 |
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Attack type
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Raids against a vehicle, and several nearby houses, in response to an IED attack against U.S. Marines |
| Deaths | 24 Iraqi civilians |
| Perpetrators | Squad from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion 1st Regiment, 1st Marine Division |
The Haditha killings (also called the Haditha massacre or the Haditha incident) refers to the November 19, 2005, incident in which a group of United States Marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians. The killings occurred in Haditha, a city in Iraq's western province of Al Anbar. Among the dead were men, women, children and elderly people, who were shot multiple times at close range while unarmed. It was alleged that the killings were a retribution for the attack on a convoy of Marines with an improvised explosive device that killed Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas.
An initial Marine Corps communique reported that 15 civilians were killed by the bomb's blast and eight insurgents were subsequently killed when the Marines returned fire against those attacking the convoy. However, other evidence uncovered by the media contradicted the Marines' account. A Time magazine reporter's questions prompted the United States military to open an investigation into the incident. The investigation found evidence that "supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot civilians", according to an anonymous Pentagon official. Three officers were officially reprimanded for failing to properly initially report and investigate the killings. On December 21, 2006, eight Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines were charged in connection with the incident.
By June 17, 2008, six defendants had had their cases dropped and a seventh found not guilty. The exception was former Staff Sergeant, now-Private Frank Wuterich. On October 3, 2007, the Article 32 hearing investigating officer recommended that Wuterich be tried for negligent homicide in the deaths of two women and five children, and that charges of murder be dropped. Further charges of assault and manslaughter were ultimately dropped, and Wuterich was convicted of a single count of negligent dereliction of duty on January 24, 2012. Wuterich received a rank reduction and pay cut but avoided jail time. Iraqis expressed disbelief and voiced outrage after the six-year US military prosecution ended with none of the Marines sentenced to incarceration. A lawyer for the victims said, "This is an assault on humanity"; he, as well as the Iraqi government, said they might bring the case to international courts.
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