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U.S. military mourns 'tragic' Haditha deaths
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. military offered condolences on Thursday to relatives of 24 Iraqi civilians killed in Haditha last November in events that are now being investigated as possible murder by Marines. "We mourn the loss of life. ... it is always very tragic and very unfortunate," U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told reporters. "But let me be very clear about one point: The coalition does not and will not tolerate any unethical and criminal behavior." Military investigators strongly suspect that a small number of Marines snapped after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb November 19 in Haditha, a city on the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, and went on a rampage, sources told CNN. (Watch for the new details revealed in the coroner's report -- 2:03) The military is holding two investigations into Haditha -- one focusing on what happened and the other into why the truth about the deaths involving women and children did not emerge earlier. Caldwell said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was looking into allegations of criminal misconduct at Haditha, while the Multinational Corps-Iraq inquiry was looking into policies and procedures, concerning training and reporting. The Washington Post on Thursday reported that the U.S. investigation into the aftermath of the killings is expected to say that some officers gave false information to superiors, who then did not check details. A military source said it was evidence, including death certificates, indicating that many of the 24 civilians had been shot at close range that led to a full-scale criminal probe into the alleged massacre in March. The Post said the promotion of Maj. Gen. Stephen Johnson -- the top Marine in Iraq at the time of the Haditha incident -- was being put on hold ahead of the results of the inquiry, which the newspaper says will be delivered to senior commanders by the end of the week President Bush on Thursday said the Haditha allegations were "very troubling" to him personally as well as to the military. He reiterated that the Marines would "get to the bottom of this" and, if necessary, hold people to account. "The United States of America has got a willingness to deal with issues like this in an upfront, open way and deal with problems," Bush said. Meanwhile, Iraq's government announced Thursday it will launch its own probe into the Haditha killings and seek talks with the U.S. military to set ground rules on raids and detentions, The Associated Press reported. Separately on Thursday, Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Multi-National Corps-Iraq commander, ordered troops to undergo fresh training in legal, moral and ethical standards for the battlefield, in response to what the mayor of Haditha has called a "day of catastrophe." "Of the nearly 150,000 coalition forces presently in Iraq , 99.9 percent of them perform their jobs magnificently every day," Chiarelli said in a statement. "They do their duty with honor under difficult circumstances. They exhibit sound judgment, honesty and integrity. They display patience, professionalism and restraint in the face of a treacherous enemy. And they do the right thing even when no one is watching. Unfortunately, there are a few individuals who sometimes choose the wrong path." Chiarelli's order to commanders to reinforce "core warrior values training" will include a slide presentation with examples that can be adapted to individual units. The training packages, scheduled to be conducted over the next 30 days, will emphasize "professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat, Iraqi cultural expectations and the second and third order effects of actions that are contrary to professional military values," the statement said. Sources: Murder charges likelyThe investigation is likely to result in murder charges against some Marines and dereliction of duty counts against others, sources told CNN. The commander of the battalion involved in the incident has been relieved of his command, along with two company commanders. CNN has learned the preliminary investigation was conducted by an Army colonel, Gregory Watt, who sources say questioned officers, including battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani and Kilo Company commander Captain Lucas McConnell, as well as Marines at the scene of the killings. Rep. John Murtha -- an ex-Marine and Democrat critical of the Bush administration's handling of the war -- said the allegations could do worse damage to the U.S. war effort in Iraq than the 2004 revelations of torture at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison. 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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