Military Opens Criminal Probe Of Marines
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – The American military has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that American Marines killed an Iraqi civilian west of Baghdad last month, the American command announced yesterday.
Iraqi civilians made the allegation during a meeting with Marine officers on May 1, five days after the alleged incident, the statement said.
A preliminary investigation by Multinational Force-West found enough information to recommend an investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service, the statement added.
The statement did not say how many Marines were involved but said they included “several service members” from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, which is based in the Fallujah area about 40 miles west of the capital.
All those suspected in the incident have been returned to America, the statement added. It said the alleged killing took place near the town of Hamandiyah but gave no details.
