Marines allegedly misled superiors

WASHINGTON -- The US military investigation of how Marine commanders handled the reporting of events in the Iraqi town of Haditha last November, where troops allegedly killed 24 Iraqi civilians, will conclude that some officers gave false information to their superiors, who then failed to adequately scrutinize reports that should have caught their attention, an Army official said yesterday.

The three-month probe, led by Army Major General Eldon Bargewell, also is expected to call for changes in how US troops are trained for duty in Iraq, the official said.

Army General George Casey, the top US commander in Iraq, is expected to order today that all US and allied troops in Iraq undergo new ``core values" training in how to operate professionally and humanely. Not only will leaders discuss how to treat civilians under the rules of engagement, but small units also will be ordered to go through training scenarios to gauge their understanding of those rules.

Bargewell has pursued two lines of investigation: not only whether falsehoods were passed up the chain of command, but also whether senior Marine commanders were derelict in their duty to monitor the actions of subordinates. The inquiry is expected to conclude by the end of this week, the official added. He said there were multiple failures but declined to say whether he would characterize it as a ``cover-up" as alleged recently by Representative John Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, a former Marine.

The Bargewell report, which is expected to be delivered to top commanders by the end of the week, is one of two major military investigations into what happened at Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, and how commanders reacted to the incident. The other is a criminal inquiry by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. That sprawling investigation involves more than 45 agents and is expected to conclude this summer, Pentagon officials and defense attorneys said yesterday .

President Bush, in his first public comment on the Haditha case, said yesterday that if an investigation finds evidence of wrongdoing, those involved will be punished. ``I am troubled by the initial news stories," Bush said. ``I am mindful there is a thorough investigation going on. If in fact laws were broken, there will be punishment."