CAMP PENDLETON, United States (AFP) — A US Marine sergeant accused of murdering 17 Iraqis during an alleged massacre in Haditha two years ago said on Thursday he regretted the civilian deaths but said he acted as he did to protect the lives of his men.
In an unsworn statement made at the end of a preliminary hearing to determine whether he will stand trial, Sergeant Frank Wuterich said the fact that innocent Iraqis had died would haunt him forever.
"I will always mourn the unfortunate deaths of the innocent Iraqis who were killed during our response to that attack," the 27-year-old father-of-three told the hearing at the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton in southern California.
"Because families got killed that day and I can look at my family and I know I would not want that to happen to them ... I will never be OK with what happened that day," he added.
However Wuterich defended his conduct in Haditha, suggesting his actions fell within the military rules of engagement.
"As a sergeant and a squad leader, I am responsible for the decisions made to employ the tactics we used that day," he said.
"Based on the information I had at the time, based on the situation, I made the best decision I could have."
Wuterich admitted he had given advice to his men along the lines of "shoot first and ask questions later or don't hesitate to shoot" when they cleared buildings with grenades and rifles.
"I can't remember my exact words, but I wanted them to understand that hesitation to shoot would only result in the four of us being killed," Wuterich said. He also denied asking another soldier to lie about the circumstances in which five Iraqi men were shot dead.
Because Wuterich's statement was unsworn, prosecutors were prevented from cross-examining him under military law.
Wuterich is the only Marine facing murder charges following the killings in Haditha, the most serious incident of alleged war crimes involving US troops in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
Military prosecutors say Wuterich and Marines under his command embarked on a killing spree that left 24 Iraqis dead on November 19, 2005 following a roadside bomb attack that claimed the life of a comrade.
A total of four Marines were originally charged with murder. Charges against two were withdrawn while a military investigator recommended that charges against a third should also be dropped.
Three other Marines face charges of failing to properly investigate the incident. The initial Marines report of the Haditha killing falsely claimed that 15 Iraqis died in a roadside bomb.
However a full investigation was conducted after a report in Time Magazine last year that contradicted the official version of events.
In a separate development on Wednesday, a two-star general and two other officers were severely reprimanded for failing to carry out a swift investigation into the deaths.
Formal "letters of censure" were issued by the secretary of the navy to the former commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division, Major General Richard Huck, and two colonels.
Lieutenant General James Mattis, who reviewed their performance, found that "their actions, or inactions, demonstrated lack of due diligence on the part of senior commanders and staff."
A secretarial letter of censure is the severest form of administrative sanction, and goes into an officer's official military record.
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