Marine says found live children among Haditha dead

By Marty Graham

CAMP PENDLETON, California (Reuters) - A U.S. Marine who walked through two houses in Haditha, Iraqi minutes after other Marines killed occupants with grenades and guns found two wounded children pretending to be dead next to a deceased woman.

"I saw one breathe. That's how I knew," 1st Lt. William Kallop testified on Tuesday at a military tribunal at Camp Pendleton. "The little boy who breathed was about 6 or 7 and when I touched him, the little girl jumped up. She was about 11."

The two injured children were the only survivors of a Marine Corps assault on two Iraqi homes near the site of a bomb attack on a Marine convoy that left one Marine dead and two injured. Prosecutors contend that the surviving Marines swept through the town on a revenge spree, killing 24 civilians with grenades and guns.

Defence lawyers for the seven Marines charged in the November 19, 2005, killings say the Marines were following procedure and orders.

Kallop, who led the first rescue team to come to the aid of the Marines struck by the bomb, testified he told Sgt. Frank Wuterich to clear two houses near the bomb site because the Marines suspected the bomb had been triggered from the houses and that insurgents were hiding within.

Later, Kallop, who has immunity from prosecution, said he did not question the Marines' reports nor wonder if their actions had been proper.

"At the time I thought my Marines had a good understanding of the rules of engagement and when they gave me a back brief, I said 'Roger that, good to go,'" Kallop said.

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