The New Yorker Publishes 2005 Haditha, Iraq Massacre Photos Marines "Didn't Want the World to See"

[Uncle Joe]

After nearly two decades of obstruction by the U.S. military, The New Yorker has obtained and published 10 photos of the aftermath of the 2005 Haditha massacre, when U.S. marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians in revenge for an IED bombing that killed a service member. The graphic images show dead Iraqi men, women and children, many of them shot in the head at close range. The victims ranged in age from 3 to 76. Release of the photos came only after producers of the investigative podcast In the Dark sued the Navy, the Marine Corps and U.S. Central Command to force them to turn over the photos and other records. "What the photos clearly show is that these were innocent people who do not appear to be doing anything threatening at the time of their deaths," says Madeleine Baran, host and lead reporter of the podcast. Four marines were charged for the killings, but the charges were dismissed in three cases, and the last ended with a plea deal that did not result in a single day in prison. Baran says the survivors of the massacre, who cooperated with producers to get the photos released, are still waiting for justice. "What they want is the world to know what happened to their family, to know that their family were good people, not insurgents, and they want justice," she says.

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[murielm99]

1. There are four of these

things from that trashy website on the front page. If people want to see them, they can go to the Democracy Not website.

[Turbineguy]

3. Trump sez military bad

Harris sez military good

Democracy Now sez military bad.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Horrendous time for human beings, a field day for winger laptop warriors.

It mattered entirely to human beings who immediately rejected pResident Bush's war, from its very first moments for focused, conscientious DU members, along with a host of winger trolls who catapulted themselves into the discussions immediately. The trolls never wavered, and fought their own war on citizens who came here to discover the latest information, and follow and join conversations.

Here's a link to google images for a large look at Haditha images, and their articles:

https://tinyurl.com/ykhwytts

A couple of random articles which well illustrate events, as a quick starter from the articles appearing with the photos at the link:

The 2005 Haditha Massacre
History
•
Mar 29, 2021
•
4 min read

In 2005, the 3rd Battalion ‘Kilo Company’ established a military base in Haditha as part of the US' War Machine.

Around 7:15 a.m. on November 19 (2005) the Battalion’s military truck was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). The bomb killed one, and injured two other US Marines. “Shoot first and ask questions later” was the direct response of Senior Marine Frank Wuterich who came to lead to what will become the Haditha Massacre, one of the many horrific massacres of Iraqi civilians.

More:
https://irqnow.com/haditha/

~ ~ ~

The Haditha Massacre: No Justice for Iraqis
Marjorie Cohn Feb 1, 2012

Last week, Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich was sentenced to a reduction in rank but no jail time for leading his squad in a rampage known as “The Haditha Massacre.” Wuterich, who was charged with nine counts of manslaughter, pled guilty to dereliction of duty. Six other Marines have had their charges dismissed and another was acquitted for his part in the massacre.


What was the Haditha Massacre? On November 19, 2005, US Marines from Kilo Company, Third Battalion, First Marine Division killed 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq, execution-style, in a three to five hour rampage. One victim was a 76-year-old amputee in a wheelchair holding a Koran. A mother and child bent over as if in prayer were also among the fallen. "I pretended that I was dead when my brother's body fell on me and he was bleeding like a faucet," said Safa Younis Salim, a 13-year-old girl who survived by faking her death. Other victims included six children ranging in age from 1 to 14. Citing doctors at Haditha’s hospital, The Washington Post reported, "Most of the shots … were fired at such close range that they went through the bodies of the family members and plowed into walls or the floor."

More:
https://indypendent.org/2012/02/the-haditha-massacre-no-justice-for-iraqis/

~ ~ ~

It's righteous to NOT sweep this under the rug, or deny, ignore, or pretend there was any justification. There never is.

Thank you, Uncle Joe, for bringing this information, pointing out the truth which WILL endure.

Anyone can googleize earlier DU threads from the beginning of the atrocities upon the Iraqi people. It's great seeing and remembering the names of some wonderful DU'ers who participated so well.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Thanks for the addition Judi Lynn

[Intractable]

6. Unlike some others here, I appreciate this post.

The military is necessary; it is neither good nor bad. But, some men in the military do bad things. This seems to be lost on some people here.

Either that, or they just hate Democracy Now so much it clouds their thinking.

[Uncle Joe]

7. As a former Marine I believe the ideal of Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) and actions such as this

along with sweeping it under the rug are anathema to each other, they do no service to the Corps.

Any institution can be corrupted.

[Intractable]

8. Formerly, I was someone who believed we needed to greatly reduce military spending.

And then Putin invaded Ukraine. Now, I believe we must spend whatever we must to contain him (and the other world dictators). This probably amounts to building weapons that will not be used and serve only to be a threat.