WASHINGTON - The US military plans to charge Marines in the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, on Thursday (Fri NZT), according to sources familiar with the case.
The November 2005 killings, which enraged Iraqis, are one of a series of cases in which US service membershave been accused, and some convicted, of being involved in killing Iraqi civilians.
The charges in the Haditha case could include murder and are expected against at least five Marines, defence officials said. They will be announced from Camp Pendleton, California, where the Marines are being held.
Two investigations were launched into the Haditha case - a murder inquiry and a probe into the Marines' procedures after the killings.
Under the murder inquiry, military criminal investigators have reviewed evidence indicating Marines deliberately shot to death the Iraqi civilians, according to a Pentagon official. The investigation into the military's response found Marine officers failed to respond properly to the conflicting reports of the killings, another official said.
Defence attorneys for some of the accused Marines have said their clients followed military rules of engagement and believed they were under attack when they fired.
