Rumsfeld says probe will deliver answers on Haditha

US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld has expressed confidence in an investigation by US Marines into the killing of Iraqi civilians at Haditha, saying "we will soon know the answers." Allegations that US Marines rampaged through houses in the Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19 and fatally shot two dozen civilians followed Rumsfeld as he travelled to Singapore to attend an Asian regional security conference.

"My impression is that the Marine Corps is handling it well and that General (Peter) Pace is taking appropriate steps to make sure that our forces are fully aware of the high standards to which they're being held," he told reporters.

Rumsfeld said that two investigations - a criminal probe of the incident itself and into the question of whether Marines then covered up the case - would address the allegations.

"Anything I say can conceivably be misconstrued in the press in a way that would be characterized as command influence and adversely affect the case from any direction," he said, refusing to comment in detail in the Haditha case.

"We know that 99.9 per cent of our forces conduct themselves in an exemplary manner and we also know that in conflicts things that shouldn't happen, do happen," Rumsfeld said.

On Thursday, US President George W. Bush pledged a thorough investigation into the Haditha deaths. He has vowed to punish those responsible if a military inquiry verifies the allegations.

A US defence official said a fact-finding inquiry led by Army Maj Gen Eldon Bargewell is looking at not only whether Marines involved in the Nov. 19 incident lied about what happened, but whether senior Marine Corps officers sufficiently examined the veracity of the troops' account.

Bargewell's probe into whether Marines tried to cover up the true nature of the incident is one of two ongoing military investigations. A criminal probe by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service could lead to charges including murder.

Defence officials previously have said a preliminary military probe conducted in February and March found evidence that the Marines involved in the incident gave a false account of what happened.

The initial military statement on the incident said 15 civilians were killed in the explosion of a roadside bomb that also claimed the life of Marine Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas. But the preliminary investigation included forensic data showing the civilians died from bullet wounds.

- REUTERS