Army 'excuse' murder?

[NMH]

"British soldiers have enough of a hard job without having to be judged by the media"

Ahem. So, our soldiery can torture, bully, murder innocents? What next, use kids as random target practise for a giggle?

Is Britain just supposed to accept that some of 'our lads' are doing despicable acts in the name of our country at war?

Sorry, but however tough and demanding the task may be, it's still just as unnacceptable as when the enemy is found to murder innocents - and it's just as disgusting to see acts brushed under the carpet with arrogance, by our spokespeople.
We are also arming up with Nukes, at the same time as telling Korea and Iran (who are apparently working on nuclear power as a source of energy, not armament) that they can't touch it.

So, hypocricy at the same time as declaring ourselves as handlers of the trustworthy policing of the World. We really are learning from the Bush family aren't we?

Buba could probably come out with some links that would make it alright.

 

[Beach Hut]

Marching into pooh land

 

[Zed Seagull]

You okay Beach?

 

[Beach Hut]

You okay Beach?

Och aye

 

[Zed Seagull]

Och aye

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Are we talking about a specific incident here and a specific quote from someone?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Are we talking about a specific incident here and a specific quote from someone?

That was my first thought. Are we talking abput the Security Services stitch-up of the Daily Mirror with faked abuse photographs in retaliation for that paper's honourable opposition to the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, or are we talking about the GENUINE abuse accounts which surfaced a few weeks later?

 

[NMH]

No. Spokesperson attacking back at the media (and possible public outcry, before it has even fully manifested) in the coverage of an Iraqi storekeeper murdered by our army. It was on tonight's news.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

The guys who've just got off scott free, having killed an Iraqi civilian - the bloke had 93 different wounds on his body, and had been tortured.

The judge said that the soldiers had, in effect, been told to do it by their superiors officers.

 

[NMH]

The guys who've just got off scott free, having killed an Iraqi civilian - the bloke had 93 different wounds on his body, and had been tortured.

The judge said that the soldiers had, in effect, been told to do it by their superiors officers.

The lead 'superior officer' actually joined in the kicking and punching, and, as the BBC show just stated, he has since been promoted to the rank of Captain - and is now training soldiers in Germany.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

hooded, restrained, kicked and beaten for 36 hours. I understand this was all admitted to in court....and is in direct contravention of the Geneva act.

 

[Icy Gull]

Shit should really hit the fan if what was shown on tv last night is true. Shame on the British Army if they don't do something about it. No doubt one of NSC's military posters will be along later to clarify what actually happened from an army viewpoint, but I doubt the BBC would get away with such a detailed and appalling re-construction if there wasn't a lot of truth in it.

 

[NMH]

Shit should really hit the fan if what was shown on tv last night is true. Shame on the British Army if they don't do something about it. No doubt one of NSC's military posters will be along later to clarify what actually happened from an army viewpoint, but I doubt the BBC would get away with such a detailed and appalling re-construction if there wasn't a lot of truth in it.

Even when a spokesman voices concern or condemnation of it, the question will remain "what will they do about it?"

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

There was truth in it, just not all of the BBC flavour. Whilst the stress and pressures of the job cannot be a catch-all excuse, if your idea of stress is trying to pull out of a junction during rush-hour, then you are not grasping the point. I think the BBC should ask their kidnapped reporters what level of violence they would have sanctioned to gain their release, or the guys in Ethiopia. Fear (and much of this case revolved around fear - of conflict, of action, of not being able to extract information, of the situation) polarises the mind to an incredible extent - and not the fear of getting a bit of a pasting, but of being shot or blown up, maimed or crippled.

One of the problems here is that although the military have a specialist team of interviewers (not interrogators), they are a very small team - they have to train regiments and units to carry out their own tactical questionning, and sometimes the units do not invigilate this properly, or allow themselves to be governed by the pressure of the situation. This is not like the police, where they (generally) have a fair amount of time to extract information that they can act upon. If they believe that the man in question has information that could impact upon the situation, they have to get it from him quickly. And sometimes the people they use to get the info are not the best people for the job.

Some of the BBC claims are open to question, in that a court martial is still a legal instrument, subject to the same scrutiny as a "normal" trial. All the charges were dropped, except against the Corporal who pleaded guilty. Many of these charges stemmed from a poorly guided inquiry following the fake photos taken by an idiot TA. Remember also that whilst vengeance was probably not in their minds, 6 Military Policemen had been killed only three months earlier - the imperative for intelligence had never been higher, and the arrests stemmed from an arms haul at a hotel, and the men involved were all implicated in the murder of the RMPs.

There can be no excuses, only mitigation. It would be nice, however, if people were just as quick to make posts and verdicts when the enemy are exposed for the same transgressions, or when they have been proven to have made false claims for financial reasons.

 

[Lokki 7]

It would be nice, however, if people were just as quick to make posts and verdicts when the enemy are exposed for the same transgressions, or when they have been proven to have made false claims for financial reasons.

That's a little unfair, I think the Americans have also come under increasing scrutiny from the press.

 

[HampshireSeagulls]

That's a little unfair, I think the Americans have also come under increasing scrutiny from the press.

I was thinking more about the ones that actually MEANT to shoot at us! Then again....

 

[Biscuit]

5 pages.

 

[Hampden Park]

The lead 'superior officer' actually joined in the kicking and punching, and, as the BBC show just stated, he has since been promoted to the rank of Captain - and is now training soldiers in Germany.

obviously leading by example, as all good officers should

 

[London Calling]

from another post

"Considering we went in to stop SADDAM police state mistreating its citizens, us and the yanks have ensured that the status quo continues.

The army should have no place for these wankers.

There are no mitigating circiumstaces.

At minimum they should all be kick out of military service, all at least should be charged with at least ABH or GBH, and a fair few should be seriously convicted of manslaughter, if not damn right murder.

One person charged even though a man was mudered with 97 different injuries, a broken nose, two broken wrists. For what, being a hotel receptionist?

Wankers, this cover up is a national disgrace and just makes the army job in Irag even harder."

As far as I am aware no charges have ever been brought forward on those Iraqui's arrested at that hotel, let alone the one who was murdered.

lc



LC