Iraqi town says justice failed victims of US raid
Jan 25, 1:40 AM EST
By BARBARA SURK and FARIS MOHAMMED
Associated Press
HADITHA, Iraq (AP) -- In this town which saw 24 unarmed civilians die in a U.S. raid seven years ago, residents expressed disbelief and sadness that the Marine sergeant who told his troops to "shoot first, ask questions later" reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time.
They were outraged both at the American military justice system and at the refusal of Iraq's Shiite-led government to condemn the killings and at least try to bring those responsible to face trial in this country.
"We are deeply disappointed by this unfair deal," said Khalid Salman Rasif, an Anbar provincial council member from Haditha. "The U.S. soldier will receive a punishment that is suitable for a traffic violation."
Haditha, a town of about 85,000 people along the Euphrates River valley some 140 miles (220 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, is overwhelmingly made up of Sunni Muslims. Sunnis lost influence in this country with the fall of Saddam Hussein and feel increasingly squeezed out of their already limited political role.
"We blame Iraqi officials because they did not take any actions to make the criminals stand trial," said Naji Fahmi, 45-year-old government employee who was shot in the stomach during what became known as the Haditha massacre.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ_HADITHA_MARINES?SITE=MSJAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
The bolded line is a prophecy, and you know exactly what I mean by that.
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