Haditha Marine's charges dropped

The Marine Corps has dismissed all charges against a Camp Pendleton lance corporal for his role in the killing of 24 civilians two years ago in Haditha, Iraq.

Stephen Tatum was charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. The dropping of those charges occurred during a hearing Friday at the base, just before jury selection was to begin in Tatum's court-martial.

It was unclear why the government took its action. In a news release issued shortly after the hearing, Camp Pendleton officials said, "This was done in order to continue to pursue the truth-seeking process into the Haditha incident."