US military probes shooting of Iraqi in Fallujah

4.00pm

WASHINGTON - The United States military has begun an investigation into possible war crimes after a television pool report by NBC showed a Marine shooting dead a wounded and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque, officials said on Monday.

The Iraqi was one of five wounded left in the mosque after Marines fought their way in on Friday and Saturday. The US military has accused insurgents in Iraq of using mosques to launch attacks against American forces.

US forces, along with Iraqi government troops, launched an offensive one week ago on Fallujah, and have gained overall control of the formerly rebel-held city, although scattered resistance remains.

Major Douglas Powell, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon, said the investigation, being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, focused on "possible law of war violations" by US Marines.

The pool report by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites said the mosque had been used by insurgents to attack US forces, who stormed it and an adjacent building, killing 10 militants and wounding the five.

Sites said the wounded had been left in the mosque for others to pick up and move to the rear for treatment. No reason was given why that had not happened.

A second group of Marines entered the mosque on Saturday after reports it had been reoccupied. Footage from the embedded television crew showed the five still in the mosque, although several appeared to be already close to death, Sites said.

He said one Marine noticed one of the prisoners was still breathing.

A Marine can be heard saying on the pool footage provided to Reuters Television: "He's f****** faking he's dead. He faking he's f****** dead."

"The Marine then raises his rifle and fires into the man's head. The pictures are too graphic for us to broadcast," Sites said.

The report said the Marine had returned to duty after being shot in the face a day earlier.

Sites said the shot prisoner "did not appear to be armed or threatening in any way."

NBC showed blurred images of the Marine and the shooting was heard though not seen on its news programme in the United States on Monday night, but the network made the full video available to media.

Powell said the investigation was ongoing and no charges had yet been brought against any of the Marines.

"As soon as the video was brought to the attention of the Marines Corps leadership by the reporter, they immediately pulled the unit off the front lines and launched an investigation," Powell said.

"They're not doing combat operations any more," he added.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq