The Pentagon has cleared the U.S. soldiers responsible for killing two international journalists in April after opening fire on the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, which served as the base of operations for foreign journalists during the war on Iraq. Killed by the U.S. troops were José Couso of Spain’s Telecinco network and Taras Protsyuk, a cameraman for Reuters.

A U.S. Central Command investigation concluded the soldiers were defending themselves from an Iraqi “hunter-killer” team. This conclusion was reached despite testimony from journalists staying at the hotel at the time of the shootings saying there was no fire coming from inside the hotel.

The late José Couso’s family in Spain dismissed the Pentagon’s findings. They said, “The report is more of the same. A series of lies … to justify the actions of their soldiers.”