Video shows Australian SAS soldier shooting and killing unarmed man at close range in Afghanistan

I am not taking the side of the enemy. There is zero evidence that the murdered man was 'enemy.'

Well, I can see what I saw. So can the Head of the ADF at the time. So can our politicians. So can all Australians, including current Military who are appalled. On what we all have seen, that Afghan was murdered, unarmed and in cold blood when he posed zero threat after being mauled by a dog. Fido did well, the SAS bloke is a murderer as is his CO. There is only ground zero disgrace in that. No honour, no courage, nothing. I will keep you updated. This will not go away, and who knows what his Trial will reveal, eh?

 

This is what happens in war zones. This is why war is not waged unless such occurrences are acceptable. Mai Lai was different in that there was time to reflect and clearly civilian personnel were victims. This soldier, wrong though he may be, was in a combat zone with his life directly and immediately on the line. He confronted another man, clearly a potential enemy and threat, and acted in self defense as he saw it in the conditions that his country asked him to be in.
If it can somehow be established that the soldier is entirely wrong, so be it. But this is not like Kent State, where soldiers who shouldn't have been where they were with live ammunition fired without sufficient provocation in a situation where their lives were not really in danger. They were just paranoid, prejudiced, trigger happy bad guys with guns, and should have been severely punished instead of exonerated.

 

You got a SAS soldier ratting out how some of his colleagues are executing people around. He got it on tape.

And here you are... I dunno if it's true?
Dude... what on earth is holding you back to have an opinion other than... toss the thugs in jail for life.

 

The guy was unarmed and hands up.
His fellow SAS soldier is with his face on camera ratting out his colleagues

And here you are making up that it was life or death situation.
You got a SAS soldier saying it aint so, buddy.
You do not know this better. Stop making up excuses to kill brown people.

 

From whom? There were two Black Hawks on oversight and directing him to his ultimate victim.

After FIDO had already collared him.

"Potential" does not justify cold-blooded murder. A war zone is not a free for all killing field for anyone.

Garbage. He was, at all times, in control in no way under any threat, and carefully asked for direction from his CO THREE times before he fired at extremely close range at an unarmed submissive man.

Sure. But his Country did not give him 007 status. His Country has an expectation that its elite are way above cheap and easy murder of unarmed people and in cold blood, calculated. Nah.

Is anyone who has posted in this Thread willing to own up to being either current or ex-military?

 

Oh I think the SAS soldier who ratted out his colleagues war crimes, with his face on camera, is happy to go on a new tour. Didn't you watch the vid?

 

"Unarmed"

Yeah, I doubt it. **** that guy.

 

Own up to it?

 

Yes....you know, say ~ "I was in the Military so my comments here need to be looked at in that light." Nothing more than that.

 

What exactly is proper procedure for this situation, in your opinion?

 

Do you reckon that is what the killer and his CO thought? F**k that guy? *Bang bang bang.*

 

I am not a military person, but the World would say.....'Take him into custody, hand him over to those whose job it is to determine who the bad guys are, and get on with your job.'

 

Read what you quoted again.
The hypocrisy of people who want to sanitize their complicity in wars is rampant.
We weren't there and we must rely on what information we can trust. The quoted post allowed for reliable information that established guilt or innocence.
Carrying on about "excuses to kill brown people" is inappropriate, to be gentle.

 

The SAS soldier in the vid is sitting there TELLING US ALL how it went down, including the video footage to support it.

And here you are telling us all a different story of "He confronted another man, clearly a potential enemy and threat".
That SAS soldier was there. You weren't! Hence it remains... stop making up excuses to kill innocent brown people.
Because that is to be concluded of what you're doing when making up your total nonsense.

Your basically calling that SAS soldier who was there, telling us how it was, video footage to back it up.... that HE is a liar, and you know best... in order to sweet talk a war crime against a brown person. It call it as it is.

 

That's an interesting approach, risk even more lives, scrap the mission, and hope the bomb maker doesn't kill or maim your countrymen and allies by the time SAS gets on with the job...

 

Yes, but thing is...even after the murder, they came up with SFA. Oh, except, of course, the scape goat they murdered. Success! Even if I am wrong about that...there were TWO Black Hawks overhead.

And ultimately;

The ROE never require that an unarmed submissive person be murdered, ever. Do you disagree?

 

I know when I was in Iraq, we handed over an IED maker to the Iraqi police. Within 3 days they released him because his people came and said he was their blacksmith and they needed him. The Iraqis released him. Within 2 weeks, more of our guys were killed from this guys bombs. If we had known what had happened we would have executed that guy in the desert, and spared those soldier's families the pain they had to endure.
I don't know the background story here, but sometimes killing is justified, especially in a warzone, even if the enemy is unarmed. I wouldn't judge him until I know the facts. Sometimes it is up to the soldiers on the ground to do the right thing, because those higher up the chain of command will not because it looks bad.

War is hell. **** happens. Never try and look at a wartime situation from the perspective of a civilian safe in another part of the world, or you will never understand.

 

No one is more opposed to military adventures than I. These soldiers were and are in a zone where combat is going on and they are there to fight. Whether or not they should be there, they are in danger and confronted with others who would kill them. They had not deployed to that area for a picnic. Everyone in that area must be aware of the situation. What was this man doing there, hiding in the grass?
This reasoning does not exculpate a murder, it merely puts in perspective reality of putting armed, excited young men where such things are bound to happen.

 

I am sorry to read of your experience. Having said that, doing the right thing never includes murdering some hapless, unarmed submissive, isolated bloke in a large field. Simple as that Josh. How can we claim 'high ground' when we act like barbarians? Your comment (not you) is disturbing and is a confirmation of my most serious concern. There seems to be a 'culture' out there among the military. Easy for me to say as I have never been there, but ..........(I'll leave the 'but' at that.) No atrocity no matter how small or how large can be justified because it occurred in a War Zone.

Killing an unarmed submissive person even on a battlefield can never be rationalised away. It is murder, and a War Crime. Simple as that.

Ya know, as this debate continues I wonder how many Vets are suffering from PTSD because of this stuff? That is a genuine concern.

 

You seem willing to risk a lot of lives for this guy. I can see the case for self-defense, by not putting even more lives at risk...

 

Umm...maybe that was his land. Hiding? Gawd......two Black Hawks turn up, dogs and the SAS turn up. Gee, if I was him, I'd be a tad worried too. But, even if he was the Grand Poo Bah of Afghan resistance in that area, that does not justify a summary murder given he was unarmed, isolated and submissive.

 

Oh, really? "I murdered him in cold blood because I had a thought he is a nasty ********." Nah.

 

Oh, really? "I murdered him in cold blood because I had a thought he is a nasty ********." Nah.

 

Gawd.....there is a software problem causing that double post.

 

By them I mean the brave soldiers who have to make life an death decisions in the most arduous of circumstances, not the hindsight hypocrites who hide behind them but are ready to stab them in the back first chance they get and never themselves face a similar dilemma.