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6 Marines charged with assaulting Iraqi civiliansThree face murder, kidnapping charges in separate case
 Protesters, such as this one in June, have shown support for Marines accused of killing a disabled Iraqi. SPECIAL REPORT
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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Six Marines have been charged with assaulting Iraqi civilians in Hamdaniya in early April, the U.S. military said Thursday. Three of them also are awaiting trial on kidnapping, murder and conspiracy charges in the unrelated death of an Iraqi man in the same city later in the month. Those charged in both incidents are Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, who faces additional charges of assaulting three civilians, Cpl. Trent D. Thomas and Lance Cpl. Jerry E. Shumate Jr. Also accused in the April 10 assault are Lance Cpl. Saul H. Lopezromo, Pfc. Derek I. Lewis and Lance Cpl. Henry D. Lever, the Marine Corps said in a statement. Those three were initially placed on "pretrial restriction" upon their return from Iraq to Camp Pendleton, California, but those restrictions have been lifted. A seventh Marine, an officer, is expected to be charged next week in that case, said Lt. Col. Colby Vokey, the Marine Corps' defense coordinator for the western United States, The Associated Press reported. No details on the alleged assaults have been disclosed. Hutchins, Thomas and Shumate are among seven Marines awaiting trial in the unrelated April 26 death of Hasham Ibrahim Awad, the Marines said in a statement. A Navy corpsman is also charged in the death of Awad, 54, a disabled veteran of Iraq's war with Iran in the 1980s. The eight also face charges of kidnapping, conspiracy, larceny, assault and housebreaking, or unlawfully entering a dwelling. Five of the men also are accused of making a false official statement, according to information released to the media. (Full story) The troops are accused of removing Awad from his home and shooting him to death, then planting a rifle and shovel next to his body in order to implicate him as an insurgent. Military officials said Thursday that it was during the investigation into Awad's killing that the earlier assaults were uncovered, according to the AP. Other allegationsU.S. service members have been accused in a series of incidents involving Iraqi civilians. On Friday, a military prosecutor demanded that four soldiers be court-martialed for allegedly killing three Iraqi detainees during an operation in Salaheddin province in May, according to AP. They have been charged with murder and could face the death sentence. On Tuesday, the U.S. military announced the completion of a U.S. Navy criminal investigation into the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha -- allegedly killed by U.S. Marines. (Full story) The findings have been given to a military prosecution team that will look further into the incident and see if there is enough evidence to build a case. In addition, four U.S. soldiers in Iraq were charged last month in connection with the "rape and murder of a young Iraqi woman and three members of her family," the U.S. military said. A fifth soldier was accused of dereliction of duty in failing to report those offenses, which allegedly took place in March in Mahmoudiya, Iraq. (Full story) Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
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