The US military charged four marines with murder and four others with dereliction of duty in the 2005 killing of 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
The charges come after a military investigation into the deaths of the two dozen men, women and children on November 19th, 2005.
The incident at Haditha has already been called a "terrible crime" by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Iraqi witnesses say enraged Marines shot the civilians in their homes to retaliate for the death of Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, who was killed by a bomb that exploded under a convoy rolling through Haditha, some 60 miles north of Baghdad.
Marine Corps squad leader Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich (26), who led the squad investigated in connection with the incident, was charged with the unpremeditated murder, soliciting another to commit an offence and making a false official statement.