The Iraqi government is starting its own investigation into the Haditha incident.
The Iraqi government announced Thursday its own investigation into reports that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians last year, and the top U.S. general in Iraq ordered American commanders to hold ethical training on battlefield conduct.
The decision to begin an Iraqi inquiry into the killings was made at a Cabinet meeting, Adnan al-Kazimi, an adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, told The Associated Press. The investigation will be carried out by a special committee made up of the Justice and Human Rights ministries along with security officials, al-Kazimi said.
One can hardly blame them under the circumstances. Given that the Bargewell Report already points to a cover-up on the part of the Marines, one can hardly merely say “trust us.”
I’m not sure of the state of our Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq but can’t imagine that we would allow them to have any criminal jurisdiction over our military personnel. But a parallel investigation by their own government may help legitimate the ultimate findings of our own investigations and any resulting criminal prosecutions under UCMJ.
