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July 9, 2010

CENTCOM Nominee Led Fallujah Assault, Dropped Charges in Haditha Massacre
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The Pentagon’s new nominee to head the U.S. Central Command is expected
to draw scrutiny for a controversial record that includes outlandish
comments and alleged disregard for Iraqi civilian life. On Thursday,
Marine General James Mattis was tapped to replace General David
Petraeus, who took over as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan
following the ouster of General Stanley Mc Chrystal last month. As head
of Camp Pendleton’s 1st Marine Division in Iraq, Mattis played a key
role in the two U.S. assaults on Fallujah in 2004. The assaults killed
hundreds if not thousands of Fallujah residents, displaced thousands
more, and destroyed much of the city. Mattis later dismissed almost all
of the charges against eight accused Marines involved in the November
2005 massacre of twenty-four unarmed Iraqi civilians in the town of
Haditha. Of the eight Marines originally charged in the case, only one
still faces prosecution. In February 2005, Mattis was reprimanded after
he told a public event that he enjoys fighting in places like
Afghanistan because "it’s fun to shoot some people." He said: "You know,
it’s a hell of a hoot… I’ll be right upfront with you, I like brawling."



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