Tom Fudge: Haditha: among people who follow America's involvement in Iraq, it's become part of the language. What you call it depends on your political views and you attitudes and understanding of warfare. It was either a war crime or the kind of tragic mistake that happens in wartime.
At the end of the day, on Nov. 19, 2005, one U.S. Marine and 24 Iraqi civilians lay dead. The short story is that members of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment , were hit by a roadside bomb. The bomb killed Corporal Miguel Terrazas. The members of his company responded by killing 24 Iraqis who were in the area. Some of the victims were fleeing in a car, some were in neighboring houses. The victims included women, children, and an elderly man in a wheelchair.
According to Navy prosecutors, the Haditha incident was a crime. Kilo Company is based at Camp Pendleton . Next month, two members of the company will go on trial on charges of manslaughter. Two more are accused of dereliction of duty.
Tonight, the public television documentary program Frontline airs a documentary about what happened in Haditha. It's called “Rules of Engagement.”
Watch Frontline's “Rules of Engagement” tonight at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV, channel 15, cable 11.
Guest
- Arun Rath , writer, producer and director of Frontline's “Rules of Engagement.”
