Lieutenant General James Mattis was "counseled" over the remarks by the commandant of the Marine Corps, General Michael Hagee, the marines said.

Mattis, who led troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, made the remarks Tuesday in San Diego, California during a panel discussion on military tactics in Iraq, telling the audience it was "fun to shoot some people."

"Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... I like brawling," said Mattis, the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia.

"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis said. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

The audience laughed and applauded after he made his remarks, which were shown on US television.

The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps General Peter Pace, defended Mattis when asked about the remarks at a Pentagon press conference Thursday.

"I was not present when General Mattis made those specific comments so I will let him address what he said for himself," said Pace.

"But, I will tell you that the last three times that that general has been in combat when he was leading marines in Afghanistan and the two times he led his division in Iraq, his actions and those of his troops clearly show that he understands the value of proper leadership and the value of human life," he said.

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he had not read Mattis' remarks and deferred to Pace when asked about them by reporters.

In a statement, the Marine Corps commandant, Hagee, called Mattis "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders."

"While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war," Hagee said. "Lieutenant General Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor."

"I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully," he said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis.

"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.