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San Francisco, US: A US commander and an enlisted man will face courts-martial on charges related to the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005.
Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Chessani is facing charges of dereliction of duty and failing to accurately report the killings that sparked international anger, the Marines said on Friday.
Lance Corporal Stephen Tatum would face a court-martial on involuntary manslaughter and other charges, dropping original charges of murder against him.
The Marines relieved Chessani of his command in April 2006 after a Time magazine story detailed the November 19, 2005 killings.
Testimony in military court has shown that Marines in the unit shot dead five unarmed men after ordering them out of a car, then killed other 19 civilians.
Tatum was one of the Marines who "cleared" the homes in the incident, according to testimony.
Lance Corporal Humberto Mendoza had testified in August that Tatum told him to shoot a group of Iraqi women and children he found on a bed in a closed room.
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