The Row Over Royal Marines Exposed Trouble within British Armed Forces

Five British Royal Marines are facing trial for allegedly killing a wounded mujahedin in Afghanistan. In case they are found guilty their names will be added a 20,000-list of Royal Marine veterans who faced criminal charges. Some analysts explain these figures by the neglecting attitude of the British government towards veterans, as well as by a generally ill-conceived military policy.

The men took part in an operation in Helmand province in 2011 and are accused of not offering medical aid to an injured Taliban fighter. The prosecution views the incident as a premeditated murder. A war has its own rules, but not everything is so evidently clear with the Royal Marine forces participating in various peacekeeping operations. The marines could have violated some rules of war outlined by the Defence Ministry. These are taboo rules for a wider audience, English military journalist Dan Entwisle told the Voice of Russia. Some details concerning the work of the British special task troops could be unveiled during the trial and thus first of all harm the troops currently staying in Afghanistan.

Actually, the whole story stands out not because of any mistakes probably made by the British troops or their too hard-line position. No breakthrough is seen in the Afghan campaign, while the death toll among civilians is on the rise. So, those responsible for this should be found. Even among Royal Marines there are people who do not follow the rules of a civilized war for democracy. Nevertheless, public attention in the UK is thus distracted from what appears to be a really thorny issue: whether the British forces are needed in Afghanistan?

On the other hand, the British system of planning military operations and providing assistance to peacekeeping forces does not always show the government’s intention to protect its soldiers. In 2010 Jacqui Janes, the mother of the 20-year-old Guardsman killed in Afghanistan, phoned the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown to tell him what should be done to prevent absurd deaths among soldiers. The woman blamed Mr. Brown`s Cabinet for a neglecting attitude towards the army, while the British mission in Afghanistan was lacking enough helicopters to evacuate the wounded. ‘If things had been different, my son would have been alive,’ she said. The prime minister had nothing to say but express his regret over the situation.

Tony Blair`s Cabinet also came under criticism for handling the Iraqi operation. “We had a clear understanding that London was hardly concerned over the campaign, Major General David John Rutherford Jones said. – They only thought about keeping within budget.” The Sunday Telegraph then published an article which said that British troops had to fight despite the lack of food, with just a few cartridges at their disposal. One day while fighting in an Iraqi desert they even received a container full of skis instead of food and weapons.

State policy towards WW II veterans and those who participated in military conflicts in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan is what has remained a largely criticized issue in Britain. Many remember a story of the former Gurkha soldier, Tul Bahadur Pun, who won the Victoria Cross and at the age of 87, wheelchaired, came from Nepal to London to give his decorations back to Prime Minister Gordon Brown in protest against the decision of the British Health Ministry to help him undergo a cardiac operation and receive a residence permit in the UK. The incident sparked a series of protests, causing the ministry to abolish red tape. The prime minister did no meet the veteran in person, though.