US orders ethics training for all its troops in Iraq

BAGHDAD -- Seeking to quell outrage over allegations that Marines went on a killing spree against unarmed civilians in Haditha, the top US general in Iraq ordered all American troops in the country to undergo additional ethics training, the military said yesterday.

The announcement was made a week after Michael W. Hagee, US Marine Corps commandant, left Washington, D.C., for Iraq on what he said was a mission to reinforce the training Marines receive in following laws regarding force and violence.

Also yesterday, for the first time since reports emerged that children, women, and elderly men were slain by US troops in November in Haditha, the Iraqi government took a tough stance on the deaths. The Iraqi Cabinet agreed to open an investigation into the disputed events of Nov. 19, which left at least 24 civilians dead following the death of a Marine in a roadside bombing.

The White House said yesterday that President Bush was not told for nearly a month that the military was investigating reports that Marines killed unarmed civilians in Iraq. Earlier this week, Bush aides said the president was briefed ``soon after" the opening of the probe.

Bush pledged yesterday that the Pentagon will ``get to the bottom of this" and that the results of the inquiry will be made public.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the dignity of Iraq had been trampled, and promised to open talks with foreign troops to set ground rules for raids and detentions.

``We cannot tolerate violations against the dignity and security of the Iraqi people," Maliki said.

The Haditha deaths, under investigation by the US military, have put pressure on US and Iraqi leaders. Allegations of a massacre have provided fodder for the antiwar camp in the United States and Iraqis who are embittered and suspicious of the ongoing presence of US troops . As for Maliki, a wary Iraqi public is watching to see whether his Shi'ite-dominated government will take the death of civilians in predominantly Sunni Arab towns like Haditha seriously.

``I have said that all provinces and all Iraqis are the same for us," Maliki said yesterday. ``Their security, for us, is the same. Their interests, for us, are the same."

Beginning in boot camp, Marines are lectured on the Geneva Conventions and other laws governing warfare.

They also engage in role-playing exercises to test their reactions to scenes simulating the confusion and complexity of Iraq. Once they arrive there, troops are told again by Marine lawyers, noncommissioned officers, and officers about the need to identify someone as a combatant before firing.

The military said US Army Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli has directed commanders on the ground to provide training to their troops within the next 30 days. Troops will be taught about military values, Iraqi cultural expectations, and ``disciplined, professional conduct in combat."

The courses will highlight ``the importance of adhering to legal, moral, and ethical standards on the battlefield," a statement from the military said.

The announcement was made a day after the US military acknowledged fatally shooting a pregnant woman and her mother near a US checkpoint in Samarra.

Material from the Associated Press was included in this report.