Bush calls for full investigation of Haditha deaths

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) President George W Bush promised today a full and thorough investigation into the killing of civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha, an incident that he learned of only when briefed by staff a month after a reporter inquired about it.

Bush has vowed to punish those responsible if a military inquiry verifies allegations that Marines rampaged through houses in Haditha on November 19 and shot 24 civilians, including women and children.

''I'm not involved with the investigation,'' Bush told reporters following a Cabinet meeting. ''And you shouldn't expect me to be. I expect this investigation to be conducted independent of the White House, with a full and thorough investigation.'' A preliminary inquiry was ordered in February only after Time magazine presented the U.S. military with information casting doubt on the official military version of the incident -- that civilians had been killed along with the one Marine by a roadside bomb.

Bush learned of the probe a month later through a March 11 briefing by National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

In his first public comments on Haditha, Bush yesterday said he was troubled by news stories about it and promised punishment if laws were broken.

Pressed on why Bush did not speak out sooner, Snow said Bush did not want to get in the way of the fact-finding process or appear to prejudice it.

''The president is commander in chief. If the commander in chief says anything that might be regarded as prejudicial to proceedings, those who are conducting the inquiries and those who might be called upon to conduct trials are therefore going to be hamstrung,'' Snow said.

Forensic data in a preliminary inquiry by the military showed the Haditha victims had bullet wounds, contradicting earlier statements from Marines that the civilians were killed by roadside bombs, according to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS POSSIBLE Some have called for an investigation to be conducted outside the U.S. military amid the allegations of a cover-up by the Marines.

Defense officials expect two military investigations into the incident to be completed in mid-June.

A probe by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, responsible for cases involving Marines, might lead to charges including murder, officials said yesterday. A separate fact-finding inquiry involves whether Marines tried to cover up the true nature of the incident, officials said.

A senior Senate aide predicted that when lawmakers return from a recess next week, ''They will want to be very aggressive in trying to help get to the bottom of this.'' The aide said it was likely the Senate Armed Services Committee would convene hearings and possibly the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Key lawmakers also will expect the administration to provide briefings on the Haditha investigations before such hearings begin, he said.

U.S. military commanders have ordered ethics training for combat troops over the next 30 days in ''core warrior values.'' Bush said the training has been ordered to reinforce procedures and standards.

''Our troops have been trained on core values throughout their training,'' Bush said. ''This is just a reminder for troops either in Iraq or throughout our military that there are high standards expected of them, and that there are strong rules of engagement.'' ''Obviously, the allegations are very troubling for me and equally troubling for our military, especially the Marine Corps,'' Bush said.

U.S. newspaper editorials and opinion writers have drawn parallels between the Haditha massacre and the 1968 killings of nearly 500 unarmed civilians by U.S. troops in the village of My Lai during the Vietnam War.

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