Iraq pressures US to cooperate on Haditha killings

“Islamic justice” said to be sought in case

Friday June 2, 2006

Iraq’s prime minister Nun Maliki said today that Iraq will demand access to the perpetrators of the massacre of Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines at Haditha so that they can face Iraqi justice and not get just a “slap on the wrist” by soft American generals. The ordinary Islamic punishment of amputating a hand or two will not be sufficient.” He added.

Mr Maliki made the demand during a visit to a rebuilt power station with Washington's Iraq ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad. The U.S. Marine battalion who were rebuilding the power station after its destruction by Islamic freedom fighters were asked to stop work for the day and to clear the area of any unexploded bombs, so that the prime minister could present his demands to the American Ambassador on camera.

"I hope it [the US investigation] will be fair for the sake of all the Haditha victims," he added.
Ambassador Khalilzad said that a handover of all the U.S. Marines presently serving in Iraq had not yet been agreed to, but that a meeting on the subject would be held later today with Iraqi police officials.

Mr Maliki also said that such incidents were common in Iraq. Troops from the multinational force showed "no respect for citizens, smashing civilian cars and killing on a suspicion or a hunch", he told reporters.
“We intend to see that these bloodthirsty Americans are brought to justice,” he added. “When they are turned over to the Iraqi authorities they will be beheaded and dragged through the streets of Haditha on the back of Abu Musab al-Zarkawi’s Mercedes Benz. It’s the only car in that town with enough horsepower.” He explained. “And since Ab lives there himself he was only too glad to volunteer the limo.”

The chairman of the Iraqi Human Rights Association, Muayed al-Anbaki, commented that the incidents were "unacceptable". "It looks like the killing of Iraqi civilians is becoming a daily phenomenon," he said. “I think we should temper justice with mercy though. Beheading a few of the ringleaders will put a stop to it once and for all. Amputating the hands of the rest of the U.S Marines in Iraq should send a loud and clear message that the new Iraqi government is not going to put up with random and senseless violence.”

In a related story, 340 reporters and photographers from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe departed for Baghdad early this morning in a chartered 747, along with Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Susan Sarandon, Rob Reiner, and Cindy Sheehan.
“This is too good to be true,” the organizer of the junket said. “I only hope that these knee-jerk Republican reactionaries finally learn something about real American values from our articles and photos. We intend to film the entire event.” He added. “Right down to the last bloody stump.”