Ethics 'refreshers' for troops

2006-06-01 20:42

Baghdad - US military officials announced on Thursday an ethical refresher program for all coalition forces in Iraq in the wake of the killing of a pregnant woman and furor surrounding an alleged shooting rampage by US marines.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki condemned the November 2005 incident in the western town of Haditha that resulted in the deaths of 24 civilians and called for a review of coalition forces' rules of engagement.

"We must speak with them and fix a definition of the obligations of foreign forces," he said.

"The cabinet will follow up on this matter with the multinational forces and we will issue a statement to denounce the event and reveal others like it that have happened."

In the midst of the mounting furor over the Haditha incident, two Iraqi women - one pregnant - were shot dead at a US checkpoint on Wednesday as they were being rushed to the delivery room in the central city of Samarra.

Though such incidents have occurred many times since the US-led invasion, they have come under new scrutiny in the wake of investigations into the killings in Haditha.

Bush 'troubled'

President George W Bush has described himself as "troubled" by the Haditha events and twin probes by the US military are currently underway.

The US military said that over the next month all soldiers would receive training to reinforce "core warrior values training, highlighting the importance of adhering to legal, moral and ethical standards on the battlefield".

The training will emphasise "the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat, Iraqi cultural expectations and the second and third order effects of actions that are contrary to professional military values".

"They do the right thing even when no one is watching," said Lieutenant-General Peter Chiarelli, the number two US general in Iraq.

"Unfortunately, there are a few individuals who sometimes choose the wrong path."

Civilians are increasingly bearing the brunt of the violence in the conflict-ridden country with the health ministry reporting 932 civilians killed in May, a 36% increase over April.

- AFP