Moral and ethical training ordered for US troops in Iraq

In the wake of the Haditha investigation, the top US general in Iraq today ordered American commanders to conduct core values training on moral and ethical standards on the battlefield.

The order by Army Gen. George Casey came as the US military investigated whether US Marines might have intentionally killed unarmed civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha on November 19.

The killings, in which victims included women and children, came after a bomb rocked a military convoy and killed a Marine.

Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said in a statement that the training would emphasise “professional military values and the importance of disciplined, professional conduct in combat” as well as Iraqi cultural expectations.