Haditha Today

Stars and Stripes has an excellent article up about the situation in Haditha today and how the residents feel about the US troops.

For locals in Haditha, the incident is memorable but not the hot-button issue it is in America, Marines deployed here said. “We’ve asked some of the local nationals who come in here on a daily basis about it,” said Staff Sgt. Andres Quiniones, who works at the Haditha Civil Military Operations Center. “Everyone still remembers it, but we’ve never had anybody come in and start complaining about it. I guarantee it’s talked about more in the States than it is here.”
(snip)

When Iraqis in Haditha think of a horrible massacre in their city, they think not of the 2005 episode but rather of 2004 public executions of Iraqi policemen by insurgents, Marines said. In April and November 2004, Marines in Haditha were sent to Fallujah to participate in the now well-known battle. Haditha insurgents waged a killing spree in the Marines’ absence. Insurgents in Haditha murdered local officials and publicly executed several policemen at a soccer field.

Imagine that... Kinda makes you wonder where the "residents" who "witnessed" the incident are now. They're probably taking refuge with Jamail Hussein the invisible source for the AP. You certainly didn't see the Iraq Human Rights groups sending videos to the media about the insurgents' killing spree in Haditha. Where were the Reuters' reporters during the 2004 chaos? Hmmm... wonder if the lack of reporting about the insurgents in Haditha had anything to do with the reporters' connections to terrorists?

This little snip from the article is heartbreaking. This is how much support our soldiers feel they are getting from us and the military brass...

As for the Marines on Haditha’s streets, some have taken the extreme measure of wearing helmet video cameras in case they need indisputable proof if their actions are questioned. “I’ve seen squad leaders and Marines with that,” Donnellan said.

Thanks to Murtha and a complicit media, our soldiers have one more thing to worry about while fighting in a war. Tragic and oh so unnecessary... Our soldiers need to know that we do support them and their mission. They should not have to second guess every one of their actions.