U.S. Officers Censured In Slayings Of Iraqi Civilians

A military tribunal at Camp Pendleton is hearing evidence against the alleged ringleader in the Al-Haditha killings (file) (epa) September 6, 2007 -- A major general and two senior officers have been disciplined for failing to investigate promptly the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Al-Hadithah in 2005.

The U.S. Marine Corps said Major General Richard A. Huck, former commanding general of the 2nd Marine Division, had received a letter of censure for the "actions he took and failed to take" in response to the killings.

Colonel Stephen W. Davis and Colonel Robert G. Sokoloski also received letters of censure.

Iraqi witnesses say U.S. troops killed two dozen unarmed men, women, and children in Al-Haditha after a Marine died in a roadside bomb.

The disciplinary action came as a preliminary hearing continued in the case for Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, who is accused of murdering several of the Iraqis.

(AP, Reuters, AFP)