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Iraqis Accuse Marines in April Killing Of Civilian
The family of Hashim Ibrahim Awad al-Zobaie, who was allegedly killed by U.S. Marines in Hamdaniyah, Iraq, April 26. Family members say U.S. servicemen offered them money last week to support the Marines' version of the killing.
(By Ellen Knickmeyer -- The Washington Post)
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Hashim's neighbor, Farhan Ahmed Hussein, said the Marines had stopped at his house first that night, before going to Hashim's.
Hussein said the Marines took a shovel and an AK-47 from his house. Iraqi and U.S. military forces allow each Iraqi household to keep one weapon for protection.
After Hashim's killing, Hussein collected his shovel and the rifle from Iraqi police. "They asked me several questions to be sure whose weapon it was," Hussein said. "Then they gave me the rifle."
The Post obtained a copy of an apparent statement by the Marines on the killing, written in English and given to Iraqi authorities at Hamdaniyah. The Post also obtained a copy of a statement in Arabic given to Iraqi authorities in the area and signed "The Marines" and a leaflet handed out in the area by the Marines immediately after the killing that described Hashim as an insurgent who had been shot after he fired on the foot patrol.
After the U.S. military investigating team visited Hamdaniyah, residents said Saturday, American forces in the area began taking back the leaflets from residents and destroying them.
The Post also obtained photographs of a dead man, identified by the family and Iraqi authorities as Hashim, wrapped in plastic sheeting in a wooden casket. What appeared to be at least four bullet holes could be seen in the photo -- two in one cheek, one in the chin and one in the lip.
Exit wounds from the shots had distorted the head, which was lying in a pool of blood caught by the plastic sheeting.
The statement on the killing in English, written on a sheet of notebook paper, gave this account: "On 60425 at aprox 0300 we spotted a man digging on the side of the road from our ambush site. I made the call and engaged. He was pronounced dead at the scene with only a shovel and AK-47."
The statement was signed Lawrence G. Hutchins and noted that he was a sergeant. A staff sergeant named Bowen signed as a witness; his first name was not legible.
The statement in Arabic, also on notebook paper, said the body brought to police by the Marines was that of a man spotted by coalition forces "digging a place for the [explosive] charge and with him was his weapon, a rifle with full clip, plus a shovel."
The leaflet distributed after the killing called Hashim "a saboteur" and said Marines had found him at about 11 p.m. on April 26 digging a hole in the road to place a bomb. "The Marines fired at him and he returned fire from the AK-47 he had, which forced the Marines to fire back and kill him," it said.
"The Iraqi forces and the Marines have warned before that planting bombs on the roadsides is considered an aggressive action and they will use deadly force to stop it."
