Hashim Ibrahim Awad
Encyclopedia
Hashim Ibrahim Awad was a disabled Iraqi veteran killed by US Marines
on the night of April 26, 2006, in an episode known as the Hamdania incident
. Seven Marines and a Navy corpsman face charges of war crime
s in relation to his death, including murder
, kidnapping
, conspiracy
, larceny, assault
and unlawfully entering a dwelling. The men charged in his death are:
, is an area of frequent insurgent attacks. His family indicated that Awad refused to become an informer.
(each family in Iraq is entitled to own one rifle), as well as a shovel. When they arrived at Awad's house the Marines were seen pulling him out of the house by the arms without asking him any questions. Approximately 30 minutes later gun shots were heard. In the morning the family was informed by local police that Hashim Ibrahim Awad had been shot in the face and left in a hole dug by the side of the road, with the AK-47 and shovel beside him as though he had been digging a hole to plant an IED
.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
on the night of April 26, 2006, in an episode known as the Hamdania incident
Hamdania incident
The Hamdania incident refers to an incident involving members of the United States Marines in relation to the shooting death of a possible insurgent Iraqi man on April 26, 2006 in Al Hamdania, a small village west of Baghdad near Abu Ghraib...
. Seven Marines and a Navy corpsman face charges of war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s in relation to his death, including murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
, larceny, assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and unlawfully entering a dwelling. The men charged in his death are:
- Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class Melson J. Bacos
- SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Lawrence G. Hutchins III - Lance Corporal Tyler A. Jackson.
- Private First ClassPrivate First ClassPrivate First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
John J. Jodka - CorporalCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
Marshall L. Magincalda - Lance CorporalLance CorporalLance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
Robert B. Pennington - Lance Corporal Jerry E. Shumate Jr.
- Corporal Trent D. Thomas
War injury
Hashim Ibrahim Awad was known as Hasim the Lame because of the metal bar that was surgically implanted in his leg. He had been injured in the war with Iran in the 1980s. He also suffered from limited eyesight.Pressure to become an informer
According to family members, Awad was pressured by US military personnel to become an informant against the insurgency. The area around Hamdania, a small village near Abu Ghraib prisonAbu Ghraib prison
The Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
, is an area of frequent insurgent attacks. His family indicated that Awad refused to become an informer.
Early morning abduction and killing
According to family members, around 2:00am on the night of April 26, 2006, US Marines went house to house in the small village pounding on doors. At the house of Awad's cousin's family they confiscated the family AK-47AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
(each family in Iraq is entitled to own one rifle), as well as a shovel. When they arrived at Awad's house the Marines were seen pulling him out of the house by the arms without asking him any questions. Approximately 30 minutes later gun shots were heard. In the morning the family was informed by local police that Hashim Ibrahim Awad had been shot in the face and left in a hole dug by the side of the road, with the AK-47 and shovel beside him as though he had been digging a hole to plant an IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
.