A US Navy Seal chief has been accused of spontaneously killing an injured teenage Islamic State prisoner by stabbing him repeatedly and calling him an “Isis dirtbag” in the process, his former comrades said in court this week.
The San Diego court-martial trial began this week for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, accused of killing the boy during his 2017 tour of duty in Iraq.
Prosecutors said the 39-year-old briefly treated the young Islamic State fighter, then pulled out his knife and stabbed him in the neck several times.
Two Navy Seals who worked with Mr Gallagher also said their former colleague unexpectedly stabbed the patient and later called him “just an Isis dirtbag.”
However, the case took a sudden turn on Thursday when Special Operator 1st Class Corey Scott said he asphyxiated the teenager after Mr Gallagher unexpectedly stabbed him.
He said the militant had been stabilised and was breathing normally after he and Mr Gallagher treated him for wounds suffered in an airstrike.
Mr Scott also said the patient would have survived the stabbing, but he decided to plug the youth’s air tube because he believed he would eventually be tortured by Iraqi forces.
A prosecutor said Mr Scott never revealed that version of events in previous conversations, however, and accused him of lying to help his former comrade.
Craig Miller, one of the Navy Seals who testified against Mr Gallagher, said that he reported the stabbing to an officer but didn’t pursue a more formal complaint until months after returning from deployment. He also acknowledged that he never tried to photograph or document the killing.
The defence meanwhile claims the allegations were cooked up by Mr Gallagher’s disgruntled colleagues.
Additional reporting by agencies
