Haditha probe raises accountability questions

updated 8:23 p.m. ET June 7, 2006

WASHINGTON - Military investigations into alleged U.S. atrocities in Iraq, including the killings of 24 civilians at Haditha, shine the spotlight anew on a question raised by the abuses of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib: How far up the chain of command should officials be held accountable, if the misconduct is confirmed?

At this stage, with the investigations not yet complete, it appears that a small number of Marines could face murder charges in connection with the killings at Haditha on Nov. 19. Several other Marines are expected to be charged soon in relation to the alleged April 26 murder of an Iraqi civilian in Hamdaniyah that investigators believe was planned in advance.

But the accountability question broadened when the military discovered that some officers in the Marine chain of command may have covered up the true circumstances of Haditha or were derelict in their duty to report what they knew. Aside from the legal liability of those directly involved in killings, more senior officers could be relieved of duty or face other administrative discipline if they are faulted for leadership failures.

In Abu Ghraib, the highest-ranking officer to face criminal charges was a lieutenant colonel, and the most senior officer to receive administrative punishment was a one-star Army Reserve general who was demoted to colonel. Criminal penalties against the 10 lower-ranking soldiers to be convicted have ranged from no prison time to 10 years.

John Sifton, a terrorism researcher for the Human Rights Watch, the New York-based advocacy group, said it’s too early to know how high the Haditha blame will spread, but he worries that lower-ranking Marines will take the brunt of it. “The criminal investigative capacity of the U.S. military is so stacked in favor of commanders” and against the enlisted troops, he said.

There is no indication so far that anyone at the Pentagon had a hand in covering up or suppressing information on Haditha.

Pointing the finger at Rumsfeld
Still, at a time of sagging U.S. public support for the war and the approach of the 2008 presidential campaign, the accountability question is likely to grow in prominence when more is known about what happened at Haditha. Already some on Capitol Hill and elsewhere are pointing the finger at Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who twice offered his resignation to President Bush in the aftermath of Abu Ghraib.

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