Two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians allegedly murdered by U.S. Marines in Haditha

Photo: Two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians allegedly murdered by U.S. Marines in Haditha

Still under investigation, the episode could firm rising American opposition to the U.S. presence in Iraq, just as the 1968 My Lai killings helped turn the tide of public opinion against the Vietnam War.

President George W. Bush promised Wednesday that, if an investigation turns up evidence of wrongdoing, "those who violated the law, if they did, will be punished."

The case just added to the administration's many Iraq woes. Just when things seem like they can't get any worse, they do, the AP reports.

The disclosure of the allegedly unprovoked killings of civilians in the Iraqi town comes with the war looming large in this year's congressional elections, and with the administration still struggling to explain the American treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Haditha is an insurgent stronghold 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. The alleged massacre last November has drawn expressions of outrage from anti-war critics in the United States and from officials of the new Iraqi government, according to the AP.

"Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood," said Democratic Congressman John Murtha, even though the case is still under investigation and no charges have been filed.

Military investigators have evidence that points toward unprovoked murders by Marines, a senior defense official said last week.

A U.S. military investigation will conclude that some officers gave false testimony to their superiors, The Washington Post reported in Thursday's editions. The superiors then failed to scrutinize reports adequately, the newspaper said, citing an unidentified Army official.

The probe, which is separate from an investigation into possible criminal actions by the Marines, also will call for changes in how troops are trained for duty in Iraq, the Post reported.

The top commander in Iraq, Army Gen. George W. Casey, is preparing to order all troops in Iraq to undergo "core values" training, including humane treatment of civilians and an understanding of Iraqi culture, the Post and ABC News reported.