Seven Royal Marines have been arrested after information emerged that an insurgent was murdered.
A fellow soldier claimed that the insurgent was killed by British troops in a way that broke the army’s strict rules of engagement.
The seven marines were arrested by the Royal Military Police on Thursday and the Ministry of Defence will lead an inquiry into the killing, which is said to have happened last year.
"The Royal Military police have today arrested seven Royal Marines on suspicion of murder.” said an MoD spokesperson.
“The arrests relate to an incident in Afghanistan in 2011. The incident followed an engagement with an insurgent: there were no civilians involved.
"The investigation will now be taken forward and dealt with by the service justice system. These arrests demonstrate the department and the armed forces' determination to ensure UK personnel act in accordance with their rules of engagement and our standards. It would be inappropriate to make any further comment while the investigation is under way.
"As with any serious incident of this nature, there will be an internal review to identify lessons learned. The nature of that review will reflect the developments in and, in due course, the outcome of the investigation."
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
