A US Marine sergeant accused of leading the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha will stand trial on February 25, a military court ruled Wednesday.
Staff sergeant Frank Wuterich did not enter a plea at an arraignment hearing at the Marines' Camp Pendleton base outside San Diego on Wednesday as his court martial date was set.
Wuterich has also reserved the right to be tried by a judge or jury in the 2005 case, the most serious allegations of war crimes facing US forces in Iraq.
Wuterich, 27, faces charges of voluntary manslaughter aggravated assault and dereliction of duty in connection with the incident, which saw unarmed men, women and children shot dead by marines.
He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.
Prosecutors have alleged marines went on an indiscriminate killing spree in Haditha, west of Baghdad on November 19, 2005 in retaliation for a roadside bomb attack on a military convoy that killed a popular comrade.
Initial reports of the incident by the marines said 15 people had died in a roadside bombing.
But an investigation published later by Time magazine contradicted the official version of events, showing that the majority of the victims were shot in house-clearing operations by marines, many at close range.
