The U.S. Marine videotaped throwing a puppy over a cliff in Iraq has been kicked out of the Corps and the other Marine involved in the dreadful act was disciplined, the Marines said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Lance Cpl. David Motari of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based in Hawaii at the moment is tried for separation and already received non-judicial punishment, but the measures taken against the trooper wasn’t released because of privacy regulations (cited the Privacy Act of 1974). About 1,000 Marines with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment were stationed in the "Triad" area of Haditha, Haqlaniyah and Barwana northwest of Baghdad.
The incident which generated “international attention” was posted on the Internet web site YouTube in March triggering a wave of protests from animal rights groups around the world.
In the YouTube-posted video, the soldier can be seen throwing the puppy off the cliff as it yelps.
The other Marine who received non-judicial punishment is San Diego-based Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion. He was the one shooting the disturbing video according to Janice Hagar, a spokeswoman for the Marines in San Diego.
The Marines initiated an investigation into the case as soon as the YouTube video came to the attention of commanders.
"The actions seen in the Internet video are contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine and will not be tolerated," according to the Marines statement.
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