US Military Investigation: “No Misconduct” At Ishaqi

A US MILITARY INVESTIGATION has found there was no misconduct by US troops over Iraqi civilian deaths in the town of Ishaqi, defence officials say. This follows allegations that 11 people were deliberately shot by troops during a raid on a house in March this year.

Military officials said soldiers had followed all the correct procedures when they came under fire as they approached the house. The US authorities said they were involved in a firefight after a tip-off that an al-Qaeda supporter was visiting the house. According to the Americans, the building collapsed under heavy fire killing four people – a suspect, two women and a child. The full results of the investigation have not yet been released, however the larger question of what really happened at Haditha is still outstanding.

This is one of a number of alleged incidents currently under investigation by the Pentagon, the most serious of which is probably the deaths of 24 civilians at Haditha. The jury is still out (pardon the pun) on the other incidents but hopefully full reports will be released in the next few days to help clarify what exactly is going on over there.