4 Marines charged with murder

In the biggest US criminal case involving civilian deaths to come out of the Iraq War, four Marines 8212; all enlisted men 8212; were charged on Thursday with unpremeditated murder.

In the biggest US criminal case involving civilian deaths to come out of the Iraq War, four Marines 8212; all enlisted men 8212; were charged on Thursday with unpremeditated murder. Another four officers were charged with dereliction of duty for failing to report or properly investigate the killings in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year.

The charging in connection with the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians sends a clear message from the Marine Corps to its officers: they will be held accountable for the actions of their subordinates.

The case marks the largest number of US officers to be charged in a case since the start of war, said John Hutson, a former Navy judge advocate-general. 8220;The honorable thing is not to 8216;protect8217; your subordinates,8221; said Hutson, who is now president of New Hampshire8217;s Franklin Pierce Law Center. 8220;The honourable thing is to look above that and realise they have a greater responsibility to the Marine Corps and military justice system.8221;

Lt Col Jeffrey R Chessani, 42, was charged with failing to accurately report and thoroughly investigate a possible violation and dereliction of duty. He could face dismissal and up to two years in prison.

The other officers charged in connection with how the incident was investigated or reported were 1st Lt Andrew A Grayson, 25; Capt Lucas McConnell, 31; and Capt Randy W Stone, 34, a military attorney.

The charges followed an investigation into Iraqi allegations that Marines went on a rampage after one of their own was killed by a bomb.

Staff Sgt Frank D Wuterich, 26, Sgt Sanick P Dela Cruz, 24, Lance Cpl Justin Sharratt, 22, were charged with unpremeditated murder.

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The Iraqis were killed in the hours following a roadside bomb that rocked a Marine patrol on the morning of November 19, 2005. The blast killed Lance Cpl Miguel Terrazas of El Paso, Texas, and injured two others. The Marine Corps said on Thursday that insurgents fired guns after the blast.

In the aftermath, five men were shot as they approached the scene in a taxi and others, including women and children died as Marines went house to house in the area, clearing homes with grenades and gunfire.

Defence attorneys have said their clients were doing what they had been trained to do: respond to a perceived threat with legitimate force.