President Bush joins Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki during an Iraqi Cabinet meeting at the US Embassy. (Reuters)

WASHINGTON, 14 June 2006 — An Internet video showing a Marine singing a song glorifying the killing of Iraqi children was condemned yesterday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “clearly inappropriate”.

CAIR called for an investigation after drawing attention to the video, which it says was posted in March on a website called YouTube.com and drew 50,000 hits.

Entitled “Marine-Hadji-Girl,” the four-minute video clip shows a young man, thought to be a Marine, wearing a green T-shirt, camouflage pants and combat boots on stage, playing a guitar and singing to an audience who are heard wildly laughing and cheering to the lyrics. “I grabbed her little sister and put her in front of me. As the bullets began to fly, the blood sprayed from between her eyes, and then I laughed maniacally — I blew those little... to eternity — they should have known they were... with the Marines,” CAIR quotes the lyrics sung by the soldier.

The clip has now been removed from the Internet site that originally posted it. In recent weeks the US Marine Corps has been beset with controversy over the deliberate killings of civilians in Iraq, including the death of 24 people in the town of Haditha in November.

CAIR’s executive director Nihad Awad called on Pentagon officials and members of Congress to investigate the video. “Given the recent allegations that US Marines massacred Iraqi civilians in Haditha and other areas, we need to determine if this video is what it purports to be,” said Awad.

“The video that was posted anonymously is clearly inappropriate and contrary to the high standards expected of all Marines,” said Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, a Marine spokesman.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush yesterday made his second surprise visit to Baghdad since the 2003 invasion, days after US forces killed Al-Qaeda’s chief in Iraq, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.

“When America gives its word, it keeps its word,” Bush told new Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. The White House said Bush remained on the ground for more than five-hours in a trip that began in high secrecy.

Maliki was told about the trip only five minutes before meeting the president. Bush was flown to Baghdad International Airport where he boarded a helicopter for an eight-minute ride to the fortified “Green Zone” for talks with the Iraqi Cabinet and US commander in Iraq Gen. George Casey at the US Embassy.

“The decisions you and your Cabinet make will determine as to whether or not your country succeeds, can govern itself, can defend itself, can sustain itself,” Bush told Maliki.

According to Iraqi government sources who attended the talks, Bush told Maliki that Iran’s “interference” in Iraq must end.

— Additional input from agencies