New Evidence Links US Marines to 2005 Haditha Massacre

Mon Nov 17 2025 22:11:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A BBC investigation reveals new evidence implicating two US Marines in the infamous Haditha massacre, where 24 Iraqi civilians, including Safa Younes' family, were killed. Survivors continue to seek accountability nearly two decades later.

The recent findings from a BBC Eye investigation suggest that two US Marines, specifically Lance Corporal Humberto Mendoza and Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum, were involved in the killing of Safa Younes' family during the Haditha massacre in Iraq. As new testimonies come to light, the investigation raises critical questions about the accountability of military personnel in war crimes. Despite extensive investigations, no Marines have faced justice for the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005, leaving survivors like Safa grappling with the aftermath and searching for justice.

This is the room where my whole family was killed, says Safa Younes.

Bullet holes pepper the front door to the house in the Iraqi town of Haditha, where she grew up. Inside the back bedroom, a colourful bedspread covers the bed where her family was shot.

This is where she hid with her five siblings, mum and aunt when US marines stormed into their home and opened fire, killing everyone apart from Safa, on 19 November 2005. Her dad was also shot dead when he opened the front door.

Now, 20 years on, a BBC Eye investigation has uncovered evidence that implicates two marines, who were never brought to trial, in the killing of Safa's family, according to a forensic expert. The evidence - mainly statements and testimony given in the aftermath of the killings - raises doubts about the American investigation into what happened that day and poses significant questions over how US armed forces are held to account.

The killing of Safa's family was part of what became known as the Haditha massacre, when US marines killed 24 Iraqi civilians, including four women and six children. They entered three homes killing nearly everyone inside, as well as a driver and four students in a car who were on their way to college.

The incident triggered the longest US war crimes investigation of the Iraq war, but no one was convicted of the killings.

The marines said they were responding to gunfire after a roadside bomb went off, killing one of their squad members and injuring two others.

Despite allegations and evidence suggesting otherwise, Safa, who was 13 at the time, insists they were innocent civilians, stating, We hadn't been accused of anything. We didn't even have any weapons in the house.\

Four marines were initially charged with murder, but after giving conflicting accounts, charges against three were dropped, granting them immunity from further legal action. Only squad leader Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich faced trial in 2012 but ultimately received a plea deal for negligent dereliction of duty.

In video recordings of pre-trial hearings, Lance Corporal Humberto Mendoza admitted to killing Safa's father and later contradicted his earlier statements, complicating the narrative further.

Forensics expert Michael Maloney analyzed evidence that suggested the involvement of both Mendoza and Tatum in the shootings. Safa, now 33, continues to live in Haditha with her own children, fighting for justice and accountability for her family's tragic loss. I still think about it. I want those who did this to be held accountable and to be punished by the law. It's been almost 20 years without them being tried. That's the real crime, she lamented.