Soldiers ordered not to shoot Taliban as they plant mines... 'because it WAKES UP locals'
Don't shoot: A former marine says troops were warned they could be charged with murder if they shot Taliban, pictured, without permission from above
Heartbroken: Widow Wendy Rayner (left) of Sergeant Peter Rayner (right) said her husband's concerns were 'laughed off ' by his superiors.
At the hearing in Bradford, his widow Wendy Rayner revealed how her husband was blown up days after senior officers had apparently 'laughed off' his complaints that insurgents were being allowed to plant explosive devices unchallenged.
The 34-year-old phoned his wife in a ‘highly stressed’ state four days before his death and was upset that his fears were not taken seriously.
She said he and his men had watched the enemy, using night-vision goggles, plant improvised explosive devices and were not allowed to attack them. He was allegedly told by one officer: ‘I am an Army Captain and you will do your job.’
He said soldiers had to go through a series of stages before opening fire and were sometimes asked to exercise ‘courageous restraint’ even when shots had been fired.
‘It is all about winning hearts and minds and using the least force possible,’ the spokesman said.
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The following is a soldier that served with Sgt Peter Rayner and kept a diary during his six month tour in Afghanistan.
Don’t shoot Taliban..you’ll wake locals
Marine’s diary reveals bizarre order to Brit troops
Revelation ... Craig Smith
CRAIG’S DIARY, MAY 1, 2010
AN insurgent is identified while a patrol on the ground is in light contact. They inform, but the reply says just 'observe'.
"Again, we identify an insurgent crawling away from another light contact. Again they inform, and yet again the reply is just to 'observe'.
If that was an IED, someone could tread on it and pay with their lives - an absolute outrage!
ex-Marine Craig Smith criticized ban on gunfire
Instead they were told they must stand by and WATCH.
Craig, who quit the Marines in January, wrote in his diary in May last year: "After a few days it becomes apparent that when we positively identify people we cannot open fire!"
He gave examples where Taliban forces were spotted in a notorious IED area, but troops were told not to shoot, or even use mortars for illumination.
Craig, who branded the policy "an absolute outrage", added: "This course of action will end up with one of us being a casualty - and I will lay the blame with command.
"All these examples needed command to have some balls."
Diary ... written on six-month tour of Helmand
Craig, who now works for a Newcastle security firm, said: "Looking back, I can't believe how silly some of the decisions were.
"In Kajaki I saw Taliban digging in IEDs and was denied the chance to do anything about it for fear of upsetting locals. Permission to open fire was denied as it would alarm the population."
What the Old Sarge Thinks: Holy crap folks, I know that I still feel badly for the Vietnamese People that we abandoned in 1975, and cannot imagine that I would be a part of imposing that same shame on those who have made the valiant effort in Afghanistan, however, if this is truly the “Rules Of Engagement” that our soldiers are forced to follow, then it is time to get the hell out. We cannot allow another soldier to die for a cause he cannot win………
