US war-crimes trial over Haditha deaths ends in deal

A US Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children has pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty in a deal that ends the largest and longest-running criminal case against US troops to emerge from the war.

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich led the Marine squad in 2005 that killed 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha after a roadside bomb exploded near a Marine convoy, killing one Marine and wounding two others.