thedrifter
04-16-07, 01:50 PM
Excessive force?
Investigation targets Marines’ reaction to suicide bombing
By Gidget Fuentes - gfuentes@militarytimes.com
Posted : April 23, 2007
U.S. military officials have launched a criminal investigation into the actions and responses by members of a Marine special operations company who are accused of killing civilians in Afghanistan after they were attacked by a suicide bomber March 4, officials confirmed.
Army Maj. Gen. Frank Kearney, who commands special operations forces in the region that includes Iraq and Afghanistan, asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to conduct the probe, Army Lt. Col. Louis Leto, spokesman for U.S. Special Operations Command-Central Command, said April 12.
“It’s been referred to NCIS,” Leto said. “So it still remains an ongoing investigation.”
The 120 members of Marine Special Operations Company-Fox, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., were expelled from Afghanistan after the suicide attack involving about a platoon of Marines left nearly a dozen Afghan civilians dead and another three dozen wounded, according to reports and military officials. The company — the first of its kind to deploy — arrived in Afghanistan in early February. The company’s commanding officer and senior enlisted Marine were relieved of their duties April 3 by their parent command, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
The initial investigation into the incident by SOCCent concluded that the Marines used excessive force and their response was “out of proportion to the threat that was immediately there,” a senior defense official told The Associated Press on April 11.
The official spoke with AP on the condition of anonymity because the results of the investigation, now under review by U.S. Central Command, have not been released.
A suicide bomber driving a minivan ran into the MSOC’s vehicle convoy, several Afghans told AP freelancers not long after the incident, and Marines opened fire on civilians as they sped away along a six-mile stretch of a busy highway in eastern Afghanistan. An AP journalist reported that a vehicle carrying a family was riddled by dozens of bullets.
NCIS began its criminal investigation April 9, Ed Buice, an NCIS spokesman, said April 12.
“We’ll have a considerable number of special agents and support personnel deployed on this,” Buice, who was traveling, said via e-mail. He didn’t know how many will be assigned to the case.
The NCIS investigation will determine whether anyone violated the rules under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The AP reported that the number of Marines involved in the case is “in the 20s,” according to a source.
The criminal probe follows the initial investigation conducted by SOCCent, which Kearney forwarded to U.S. Central Command, which oversees all forces in the region. That investigation, which is conducted similar to investigations under the Judge Advocate General’s Manual, will determine if there was any wrongdoing or violations of military orders or regulations and would recommend any disciplinary actions. It also remains an ongoing review.
“You want to make sure it’s done expeditiously and it’s thorough,” Leto said.
Kearney last month ordered the entire company out of Afghanistan because he believed “the perceived response of the people � degrades the unit’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency,” his spokesman said.
The decision to relieve the company commander — a major — and senior enlisted Marine was made by Lt. Col. Paul Montanus, who commands 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Lejeune, after “extensive consultation” with Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, the MarSOC commander, according to a posting on the command’s official Web site.
Both Marines “are being redeployed back to Camp Lejeune,” said Gunnery Sgt. Michael Turner, a MarSOC spokesman. MarSOC, citing privacy reasons, is not releasing the names of the two company leaders.
“The MSOC was involved in events, including the March 4 ambush, which caused the 2nd MSOB commander to lose trust and confidence in the leadership of the MSOC,” MarSOC officials said in the statement.
“Further details are not available pending decisions regarding potential administrative or disciplinary action.
“The relief of these Marines was an administrative action,” it added.
Another officer with 2nd MSOB has been tapped to take command of the company, but his name was not released.
MSOC-Fox, which deployed in January with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, remains in the region. “They are training. They are getting ready for their next job,” Leto said.
The company “will continue its deployment in support of [special operations forces] operations in the CentCom area as needed until it completes its scheduled deployment,” according to MarSOC.
The company was the first with MarSOC to deploy overseas. MarSOC’s second direct-action company to deploy overseas, this one with 1st MSOB at Camp Pendleton, Calif., deployed April 10 with the 13th MEU.
MarSOC was created in February 2006 as the Corps’ contribution to U.S. Special Operations Command, which, until that point, had only highly trained soldiers, sailors and airmen in its ranks. When MarSOC is at full strength, it will oversee have some 2,600 Marines, split into special operations companies, foreign military training teams and other support and training units. Many of the Marines in the MSOCs came straight from the Corps’ force reconnaissance community.
Trista Talton contributed to this report.
Ellie
Investigation targets Marines’ reaction to suicide bombing
By Gidget Fuentes - gfuentes@militarytimes.com
Posted : April 23, 2007
U.S. military officials have launched a criminal investigation into the actions and responses by members of a Marine special operations company who are accused of killing civilians in Afghanistan after they were attacked by a suicide bomber March 4, officials confirmed.
Army Maj. Gen. Frank Kearney, who commands special operations forces in the region that includes Iraq and Afghanistan, asked the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to conduct the probe, Army Lt. Col. Louis Leto, spokesman for U.S. Special Operations Command-Central Command, said April 12.
“It’s been referred to NCIS,” Leto said. “So it still remains an ongoing investigation.”
The 120 members of Marine Special Operations Company-Fox, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., were expelled from Afghanistan after the suicide attack involving about a platoon of Marines left nearly a dozen Afghan civilians dead and another three dozen wounded, according to reports and military officials. The company — the first of its kind to deploy — arrived in Afghanistan in early February. The company’s commanding officer and senior enlisted Marine were relieved of their duties April 3 by their parent command, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.
The initial investigation into the incident by SOCCent concluded that the Marines used excessive force and their response was “out of proportion to the threat that was immediately there,” a senior defense official told The Associated Press on April 11.
The official spoke with AP on the condition of anonymity because the results of the investigation, now under review by U.S. Central Command, have not been released.
A suicide bomber driving a minivan ran into the MSOC’s vehicle convoy, several Afghans told AP freelancers not long after the incident, and Marines opened fire on civilians as they sped away along a six-mile stretch of a busy highway in eastern Afghanistan. An AP journalist reported that a vehicle carrying a family was riddled by dozens of bullets.
NCIS began its criminal investigation April 9, Ed Buice, an NCIS spokesman, said April 12.
“We’ll have a considerable number of special agents and support personnel deployed on this,” Buice, who was traveling, said via e-mail. He didn’t know how many will be assigned to the case.
The NCIS investigation will determine whether anyone violated the rules under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The AP reported that the number of Marines involved in the case is “in the 20s,” according to a source.
The criminal probe follows the initial investigation conducted by SOCCent, which Kearney forwarded to U.S. Central Command, which oversees all forces in the region. That investigation, which is conducted similar to investigations under the Judge Advocate General’s Manual, will determine if there was any wrongdoing or violations of military orders or regulations and would recommend any disciplinary actions. It also remains an ongoing review.
“You want to make sure it’s done expeditiously and it’s thorough,” Leto said.
Kearney last month ordered the entire company out of Afghanistan because he believed “the perceived response of the people � degrades the unit’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency,” his spokesman said.
The decision to relieve the company commander — a major — and senior enlisted Marine was made by Lt. Col. Paul Montanus, who commands 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Lejeune, after “extensive consultation” with Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, the MarSOC commander, according to a posting on the command’s official Web site.
Both Marines “are being redeployed back to Camp Lejeune,” said Gunnery Sgt. Michael Turner, a MarSOC spokesman. MarSOC, citing privacy reasons, is not releasing the names of the two company leaders.
“The MSOC was involved in events, including the March 4 ambush, which caused the 2nd MSOB commander to lose trust and confidence in the leadership of the MSOC,” MarSOC officials said in the statement.
“Further details are not available pending decisions regarding potential administrative or disciplinary action.
“The relief of these Marines was an administrative action,” it added.
Another officer with 2nd MSOB has been tapped to take command of the company, but his name was not released.
MSOC-Fox, which deployed in January with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, remains in the region. “They are training. They are getting ready for their next job,” Leto said.
The company “will continue its deployment in support of [special operations forces] operations in the CentCom area as needed until it completes its scheduled deployment,” according to MarSOC.
The company was the first with MarSOC to deploy overseas. MarSOC’s second direct-action company to deploy overseas, this one with 1st MSOB at Camp Pendleton, Calif., deployed April 10 with the 13th MEU.
MarSOC was created in February 2006 as the Corps’ contribution to U.S. Special Operations Command, which, until that point, had only highly trained soldiers, sailors and airmen in its ranks. When MarSOC is at full strength, it will oversee have some 2,600 Marines, split into special operations companies, foreign military training teams and other support and training units. Many of the Marines in the MSOCs came straight from the Corps’ force reconnaissance community.
Trista Talton contributed to this report.
Ellie