On this day in 2005, US Marines massacred 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in #Haditha. Marines fired at close range, killing women, children, & the elderly. All Marines involved got away w/ the murders. All charges were dropped & none served jail time.
In the massacre, Marines ordered 5 Iraqi men, a taxi driver & 4 teenagers out of their car & then executed them. Then a separate group of Marines threw grenades and sprayed machine gun fire into near-by homes. Marines then stormed the houses.
One Iraqi man was shot as he went to open the door for the Marines to enter his home. The Marines wiped out entire families & killed children as young as 2 years-old.
Following the massacre, Marines attempted to cover up their crime by filing false reports that the civilians killed died in an explosion. The Marine Spokesman called reports of the massacre “al Qaeda propaganda”. Yet, investigations by the press exposed the Marines’ lies.
Iraqis expressed were outraged after the 6-year military prosecution ended with no Marines sentenced to prison. A lawyer for the victims said, "This is an assault on humanity" and “orphans, widows and old people who are still suffering and hurting from that terrible massacre.”
Youssef Ayid, who lost four brothers in the massacre, said, "We are sad to see the criminals escape justice.” Residents of the neighborhood where the massacre occurred, found themselves constantly replaying in their minds the gory details of the event.
Six months later, a resident said, “even our children are still talking about it constantly.”
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