CAMP PENDLETON — Defending the lack of a war-crimes investigation in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, a Marine intelligence officer testified Wednesday that it appeared the deaths had occurred in the midst of a series of attacks by insurgents that Marines had been strongly warned to anticipate.
Capt. Jeffrey Dinsmore said that Marine officers decided the deaths were combat-related and thus no investigation was warranted. His testimony came during an Article 32 inquiry, similar to a preliminary hearing, for a former battalion commander.
In a sometimes bitter exchange with prosecutors, he denounced the Marine Corps for charging Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani with dereliction of duty.
"Politically, the Marine Corps made a decision to hang Col. Chessani out to dry," said Dinsmore, who has served for 20 years and is now deployed to Iraq. He added that he feels the investigation is hurting the corps.
The military began an investigation of the Nov. 19, 2005, killings only after Time magazine began questioning the Marines' assertion that the civilians had been killed in crossfire between Marines and insurgents.
Dinsmore, in testimony that was videotaped earlier this year, said Marines had developed intelligence prompting them to prepare for a complex attack involving roadside bombs and small-arms fire, with insurgents hiding among civilians in their homes.
The events seemed to fit that pattern, he said: A bomb exploding under a Humvee and a nearby firefight that erupted after Marines stormed three houses and killed 19 civilians inside.
With an increasing tone of incredulity, Lt. Col. Sean Sullivan, the lead prosecutor in the Article 32 inquiry for Chessani, repeatedly asked Dinsmore whether he had requested a report on the deaths of 24 civilians in the Haditha incident.
"No, sir," Dinsmore answered.
Chessani is accused of failing to launch a war crimes investigation of the deaths of five men outside their car as well as three women, seven children and nine men inside the three houses.
All were killed by Marines from Chessani's 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment. Dinsmore was the lead intelligence officer for the battalion and was involved in developing reports for superiors on the day of the killings; he has not been charged in the case.
Three days after the killings, Maj. Gen. Richard Huck, then commander of the 2nd Marine Division, came to the central Iraqi town for a routine update.
