A senior U.S. military official acknowledged Wednesday that the allegations of killing Iraqi civilians by U.S. marines may hurt military operations there.

Brigadier General Carter Ham, deputy director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon briefing that the allegations, whether true or not, can have a negative impact on U. S military operations in Iraq.

"As the Coalition forces operate inside Iraq, we need the consent of the Iraqi government in order to operate in the manner in which we would like to operate, which is in support of them," he said.

"Allegations such as this, regardless of how they're borne out by the facts, can have an effect on the ability of U.S. forces to continue to operate," Ham said.

However, he refused to directly comment on the ongoing probes into the deaths of 24 civilians in the western Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19 last year.

U.S. marines operating in Haditha have said the civilians were killed by a bomb and gunfire during an insurgent attack on the marines.

But local civilians have sharply disputed that account, saying the marines massacred unarmed civilians.

Wednesday's New York Times reported that a military investigator turned up information earlier this year that appeared to contradict the marines' story and back up the residents' claims

U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that he was troubled by the allegations and pledged a thorough investigation.

Source: Xinhua