US military prepares Haditha murder case charges

WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) The U S military is expected to charge at least five U S Marines in the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq, and the charges could includemurder, defense officials said today.

It was not known when the charges would come down but aMarine Corps official said it would not happen today.

A Marine Corps general will brief members of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee behind closed doors on Wednesday morning about the military's months-long investigation of the case.

U S Marines have been accused of killing unarmed Iraqis inHaditha in November 2005. It is one of a series of cases in which U.S.

troops have been suspected, and some convicted, of being involved in the murder of Iraqi civilians.

Two investigations were initiated into the Haditha case -- a murder inquiry and a probe into the Marines' procedures after the killings.

Under the murder inquiry, military criminal investigators have reviewed evidence indicating Marines deliberately shot to death the Iraqi civilians, according to a Pentagon official. The investigation into the military's response found Marine officers failed to respond properly to the conflicting reports of the killings, another official said.

Defense attorneys for some of the accused Marines have said their clients followed military rules of engagement and believed they were under attack when they fired.

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