5 Royal Marines charged with Murder of Afghans

[Ne Obliviscaris]

BBC
The Guardian
The Telegraph

Are these incidents Isolated or common and covered up?
Do we need to suspect our Servicemen/women of such?
Is court martial the right way to deal with the issue?

Discuss.
(No Brit Bashing Please)

[removeduser_487563287433]

I think the idea that this is common and covered up is baseless. I can't think of any example of that.

[Odenat]

I think the idea that this is common and covered up is baseless. I can't think of any example of that.

yeah, there are only a few hundred similar cases

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/16/wo...ies/index.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...82A02V20120311
http://www.globalresearch.ca/nato-ai...ghan-civilians
http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=242084
http://www.globalresearch.ca/nato-ai...n-more/5304957
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...72U36S20110331

[removeduser_487563287433]

yeah, there are only a few hundred similar cases

At a glance your examples deal with accidents and different nations, so not similar at all.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

Well covered up it is not but nasty things do happen over there and it is to be expected.It is a war zone after all chaps
how about we ask the Taliban to carry around cards about the rules of engagement.See if they want to play by the rules.

[Hakomar]

Well covered up it is not but nasty things do happen over there and it is to be expected.It is a war zone after all chaps
how about we ask the Taliban to carry around cards about the rules of engagement.See if they want to play by the rules.

Just because the Taliban doesn't have rules of engagement similar to us, it doesn't excuse another combatant to do bad. To repeat the idiomatic platititude, two wrongs don't make a right. It's not just about being humane and not having a policy similar, do excuse me invoking Godwin, Hitler's shooting of Communist officers, but it's also about winning the hearts and minds of the local population.
If we are to claim to be superior to the Taliban, then we must have moral integrity, and whilly nilly summary executions or murder don't tend to fulfill that. Even if the Taliban don't have a rulebook, it doesn't mean we shouldn't.

[magpie]

From what I can surmise about this case, I believe the alleged incident took place a year ago.
The marines involved may have broken the rules of engagement?
Now its possible the dead Taliban insurgent was shot out of hand? or not as the case maybe.
Some evidence may have come to light for this prosecution to be pursued.

Is it a wide spread practice to ignore the rules of engagement, I think the only people who can tell you that are the ones involved in military action,s.

[The Alcotroll]

Is it a wide spread practice to ignore the rules of engagement,

No. Far from it- and Law of Armed Conflict lectures are a mandatory part of training, delivered and tested twice annually, with a more detailed and in-depth look at it for those deploying.

From what I've heard (rumours only) the insurgent engaged the Marines and wound up badly injured. There was a discussion about what to do with him which some complete wit filmed, and the film was later found on one of the blokes' laptops. It doesn't show any actual killing, but I'm guessing that Terry was later found dead. Speculation (just that) is that the blokes decided to 'put him out of his misery' instead of calling for medical extraction.

On the one hand, MERT is like gold dust out there, so it would certainly stick in the back of the throat to crash out casevac for a stone-age who tried to kill you but came off second-best- knowing that another patrol somewhere else might be about to need that MERT for a friendly casualty in the time the team are on task to you.
On the other hand, LOAC is there whether you like it or not, and once you find a live enemy in no position to return fire, the rules stipulate in black and white that every effort must be made to preserve his life.

Of course, if it was one of our lads then Terry would have videoed themselves cutting his head off, posted the vid on the internet and strung up the body from a bridge for the hell of it. But thats the reason we have the moral high-ground, whatever clueless idiots on here might claim.

[Pielstick]

In before the Brit bashing begins.....

They've been charged with murder and will probably face a court martial.

I wonder how many Taliban have been charged with murder by their own side?

[frozenprince]

In before the Brit bashing begins.....

They've been charged with murder and will probably face a court martial.

I wonder how many Taliban have been charged with murder by their own side?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say... 0.

But ohmahgerd the US and NATO are soooo morally bankrupt....

[Comrade_Rory]

I wonder how many Taliban have been charged with murder by their own side?

All of them. Sentenced to eternity in paradise with some average looking virgins.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

I get civilians, or even militia, but why do soldiers insist on carrying cameras?

Well, to document their deployment? Video diaries and whatnot. James Blunt made a song out of it, so I'm grateful.

From what I've heard (rumours only) the insurgent engaged the Marines and wound up badly injured. There was a discussion about what to do with him which some complete wit filmed, and the film was later found on one of the blokes' laptops. It doesn't show any actual killing, but I'm guessing that Terry was later found dead. Speculation (just that) is that the blokes decided to 'put him out of his misery' instead of calling for medical extraction.

On the one hand, MERT is like gold dust out there, so it would certainly stick in the back of the throat to crash out casevac for a stone-age who tried to kill you but came off second-best- knowing that another patrol somewhere else might be about to need that MERT for a friendly casualty in the time the team are on task to you.
On the other hand, LOAC is there whether you like it or not, and once you find a live enemy in no position to return fire, the rules stipulate in black and white that every effort must be made to preserve his life.

Of course, if it was one of our lads then Terry would have videoed themselves cutting his head off, posted the vid on the internet and strung up the body from a bridge for the hell of it. But thats the reason we have the moral high-ground, whatever clueless idiots on here might claim.

Wait wait wait wait, the British refer to the Taliban as "Terry"? That's ing awesome.

[The Despondent Mind]

Some solders did a bad thing during war , yeah that's really news .

But Brits (Westerners ) did it , so it's a shock because everybody knows they are the good,nice and unmistakable people .

[justicar5]

Time to wait to see what they are actually accused of, so far we have 'murder' but what exactly? Shooting a prisoner? What exactly?

[Azog 150]

Time to wait to see what they are actually accused of, so far we have 'murder' but what exactly? Shooting a prisoner? What exactly?

Its been confirmed that no civilians are involved, so its most likely a case of a prisoner being killed after being captured. Apparently it is on film.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

They were talking about this on SKY News during the week and it was a Taliban fire fight and not civilians they were engaging.
It is very difficult when you have to stop firing when the guy looks like he is running away

[Sir Winston Churchill]

happens in war on both sides, it's terrible and yet unavoidable. The actions of these individuals however does not denote the tendencies of the whole. Not all Muslims are suicidal-bombers, not all Americans are fatasses who eat McDonalds all day, not all British people have horrid dental hygiene, and not all Germans are into bondage.

The fact they're being brought up on charges and set up for a court martial proves that their actions are not condoned or supported, and that it is recognized they did wrong.

What more really needs to be said?

[NotYetRegistered]

not all Germans are into bondage.

Man.

I agree, though.

[I WUB PUGS]

Boo ing hoo.

Shooting an animal in the back or unarmed is the same as shooting them in the face when they have an AK. Just another dead animal. Good riddance.

[snuggans]

Boo ing hoo.

Shooting an animal in the back or unarmed is the same as shooting them in the face when they have an AK. Just another dead animal. Good riddance.

agreed! although, while we're at it, i feel we should behead them instead and videotape it! bonus points if they cry out for their families.

actually we should've emptied out guantanamo, lined them up against a wall and go to town with the .50!