Marines accused of executing insurgent await fate

The commandos, known only as Marines A, B and C, are accused of the “execution” of the man in Helmand more than two years ago.

The marines have pleaded not guilty to murdering the unknown Afghan national on or about September 15, 2011 contrary to Section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

Marine A is alleged to have shot the Afghan national, who was found injured in a field after an Apache helicopter attack, at close range with a 9mm pistol before telling him: “There you are. Shuffle off this mortal coil, you ****. It’s nothing you wouldn’t do to us.”

He then allegedly turned to comrades and said: “Obviously this doesn’t go anywhere, fellas. I just broke the Geneva Convention.”

The killing had been filmed by a camera mounted on the helmet of Marine B, prosecutors alleged during the two-week court martial at Bulford, Wiltshire.

Still images from it were shown to the panel along with the audio recording. Marines A and C were captured scouting out the field, locating the Afghan before calling the others over.

The patrol drags him across the field and into a wooded area nearby, throwing him to the ground. Marine A is heard asking “Anybody want to do first aid on this idiot?”.

Marine B is heard to loudly reply “no”. Marine C offers to shoot the man in the head, which is refused as Marine A rules “that would be ******* obvious”.

The injured man is kicked before being flipped over.

Marine A is seen walking forward, bending down and shooting the man at close range in his chest with a 9mm pistol.

In evidence, Marine A insisted he believed the insurgent was dead at the time and he was simply shooting into a corpse in anger.

Marines B and C are accused of being “party to the killing” and “encouraged and assisted” Marine A to commit the murder.

Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett told the seven-strong court martial board that to convict of murder they had to be sure that there was an “intention to kill”.

For Marine A to be convicted of murder, the board had to be sure that when he fired the pistol the insurgent was alive, that the defendant knew he was alive, that he intended to kill him and the gunshot caused or accelerated his death.

The judge said that the case against Marines B and C was one of “secondary liability”.