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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Marine cleared in mosque shootings probe |
| 2005-05-04 |
| The U.S. military has cleared a Marine who shot three unarmed insurgents in a mosque at the height of fighting in Fallujah, Iraq, in November. Marine Cmdr. Lt. Gen. John Sattler has ruled the soldier involved fired his weapon in self-defense â€" and no charges will be filed against him. The shootings occurred at a mosque during an intense street-to-street battle for Fallujah. Caught on tape by an NBC camera, a squad of Marines entered the mosque to investigate reports of enemy gunfire. Inside, they found four enemy insurgents, wounded in a firefight the day before. A Marine corporal who notices one of the insurgents is still breathing raises his rifle and fires a single shot into the man's head. Military officials now report that same corporal shot three of the unarmed insurgents inside the mosque. But after an exhaustive five-month investigation, Sattler ruled the Marine had fired his weapon in self-defense. Sources tell NBC News the decision was based on the fact the Marines had been warned that the enemy would feign death and booby-trap bodies as a tactic to lure Marines to their deaths. The sources said the corporal apparently feared for his life when he fired the shots. But the investigation is not over. At least one other Marine remains under investigation for shooting a fourth unarmed insurgent in that same mosque. The mosque had been used as a safe haven for insurgents firing on Marines, and the U.S. military found a large stockpile of weapons inside upon securing the building. |
| Posted by:ed |