Frontline

Rules Of Engagement

FRONTLINE cuts through the fog of war to reveal the untold story of what happened in Haditha, Iraq, where 24 of the town's residents were killed by U.S. forces in what many in the media branded "Iraq's My Lai." With accusations swirling that the Marines massacred Iraqi civilians "in cold blood," the Haditha incident has led to one of the largest criminal cases against U.S. troops in the Iraq war. But real questions have emerged about what really happened that day, and who is responsible. Through interviews with Iraqi survivors and Marines accused of war crimes, FRONTLINE investigates this incident and what it can tell us about the harrowing moral and legal landscape the U.S. military faces in Iraq. After years of delays, U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich went on trial in January 2012 in connection with the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians more than six years ago, one of the worst incidents of its kind of the war. What really happened on November 19, 2005, in the village of Haditha? FRONTLINE cuts through the fog of war to reveal the untold story of what some have branded "Iraq's My Lai." With accusations swirling that a squad of Marines massacred Iraqi civilians "in cold blood," the Haditha killings led to one of the largest criminal cases against U.S. troops in the Iraq war. Yet major questions remain unanswered. Through interviews with Iraqi survivors and Marines accused of war crimes, FRONTLINE investigates the incident and what it can tell us about the moral and legal maze of U.S. troops' involvement in Iraq.