Five Royal Marines from 3 Commando Brigade were charged with murder Sunday. The charges stem from a 2011 incident in which a captured and wounded Taliban fighter was killed. A video of the incident was found on a marine's laptop computer that was seized during an arrest on an unrelated incident in the UK. The video reportedly shows a marine patrol standing around an injured Taliban fighter discussing what to do with the prisoner. The video ends with the captive still alive, but Royal Marine officials confirm the Taliban fighter died. The four arrested commandos are in detention awaiting a courts martial. During their six month service in Helmand Province last year 3 Commando lost seven men. MoD Secretary Philip Hammond said during a TV interview that the Ministry was determined UK troops follow the rules of engagement which they carry on cards in their uniforms.
In the US, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accused of killing 16 civilians will face a pretrial hearing, or Article 32 hearing under the UCMJ, scheduled for November 5th to determine if he should face a courts martial trial. The hearing will take place at Joint Base Lewis-McCord in Washington state, but will feature video testimony from villagers who will travel to Kandahar Air Base in southern Afghanistan to testify. Bales is accused of going on a rampage in which he walked to two villages during the night and killed women and children sleeping in their homes. The massacre occurred during his third deployment to a war zone. He is also accused of burning the bodies, drinking on duty, and taking illegal steroids. Bales is being held at Leavenworth, Kansas.