May 22

　　When a Congressman makes the extraordinary claim that U.S. troops killed innocent civilians "in cold blood," Washington takes notice. And when he's a former Marine and decorated Vietnam vet, the assertion carries special weight.

　　Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha, who backed going to war in 2002 but has become a vocal critic of the Bush Administration's handling of Iraq, last week said U.S. Marines were guilty of murdering civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last November--an event that was uncovered by TIME in March.

　　Murtha made his claims after being briefed on an ongoing U.S. military investigation sparked by TIME's story, which detailed allegations that 15 Iraqis at Haditha might have been shot by Marines--not killed by a bomb, as the Marines had said. "It's much worse than was reported," said Murtha, "There was no firefight. There was no [improvised explosive device] that killed those innocent people." Murtha claimed that "about twice as many" Iraqis were killed as had been reported.

　　As TIME reported earlier, eyewitnesses cast doubt on the military's claim, saying four of the Iraqis had been pushed into a closet, then shot. Military sources deny the victims had been in a closet and said one had had a gun while another had "seemed" to be reaching for one.

　　The military investigation is expected to conclude in the next few weeks.