General Orders Ethics Training In Iraq
Command Comes Amid Allegations Marines Murdered Civilians In Haditha
-
Play CBS Video Video Battlefield Conduct Training The U.S. military is facing a growing public relations nightmare as investigations into the Haditha killings in Iraq continue. Elizabeth Palmer reports on the steps the military is taking.
-
Video Marine Murder Investigation There has been fallout from the alleged murders of Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines. The U.S. commander in Iraq has ordered officers to conduct training on ethics and values, reports Elizabeth Palmer.
-
Video Military Misconduct Probe President Bush said he's "troubled" by reports that Marines killed Iraqi civilians last November. David Martin reports the killings could damage U.S. operations in Iraq.
-
-
Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army Major General Peter Chiarelli gestures as he answers a question during a press conference at a US base in Baghdad, September 15, 2004. (Getty Images/Jewel Samad)
-
Bodies of civilians killed in Haditha, Iraq, last November. (Hammurabi Human Rights Group)
-
President Bush participates in a credentials ceremony for the Ambassador of Iraq to the United States Samir Sumaidaie, left, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 30, 2006 in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
-
Susie Briones holds a picture of her son Lance Cpl. Roel Ryan Briones, 21, on Monday, May 29, 2006 at her home in Hanford, Calif. Her son was one of two Marines asked to photograph the corpses of men, women and children after members of their unit allegedly killed at least a dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
-
-
Interactive Iraq: 4 Years Later The conflict wears on as the nation struggles to rebuild.
-
Photo Essay Iraq: The Last 12 Months A photo recap of events in Iraq over the last year.
-
Interactive Covering The Story Journalists covering the war in Iraq are sometimes part of the story as more are injured, killed or taken hostage.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported that Pentagon officials say photos taken by Marines leave no doubt women, children and unarmed men were shot to death — some of them as they lay in bed; others as they were kneeling.
U.S. military investigators have evidence that points toward unprovoked murders by the Marines, a senior defense official said last week. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the investigators will conclude some officers gave false testimony to their superiors, who then failed to scrutinize the reports adequately.
It took nearly a month for President Bush to be told of the Haditha investigation, the White House said Thursday. Earlier this week, Bush aides had said the president was briefed "soon after" the probe began.
The decision to launch an Iraqi inquiry was made at a Cabinet meeting Thursday, according to Adnan al-Kazimi, an adviser to the prime minister.
A committee of security experts as well as officials from the Justice and Human Rights ministries will look into the Haditha incident as well as other cases where misconduct by U.S. troops is suspected, al-Kazimi told The Associated Press.
An Iraqi government statement said the Haditha "tragedy" violated the guidelines of justice and human rights" and demanded no leniency be shown to its perpetrators.
"The Council of Ministers demands that generous financial compensations be paid to the victims' families and an official apology be presented to the Iraqi government after the results of the investigation are announced," the statement said. It emphasized, however, the need for coordination between the Iraqi side and the U.S.-led coalition forces.
Prime Minister al-Maliki's tone was even tougher.
"It appears to be a horrible crime," he told reporters. "A large number of women, men and children have been killed because of an explosion that targeted a vehicle of the multinational forces."
He said the list of human rights breaches by coalition forces in Iraq was long.
Reinforcing "core values" training could help prevent such alleged incidents, experts said.
"I think it's a healthy thing," said Howard Prince, director of the Center for Ethical Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. "It's time to step back and do refresher training to remind those how the United States wages war."
However, Prince, a retired Army general, cautioned that training needs to be constantly reinforced. "I think it'll have an effect, but the effect won't be as powerful if it's not sustained by continuous efforts on part of leadership at every level," he said.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
