NCIS documents cast doubt on Navy SEAL’s guilt in slaying of Islamic State fighter
Special Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, a highly decorated Navy SEAL, is fighting murder charges tied to the death of an Islamic State militant in Iraq. (photos provided)
By: Carl Prine
Chinks are appearing in the NCIS case against SOC Gallagher, in the form of two senior members of the elite Iraqi Emergency Response Division, and their interviews.
Two high-ranking Iraqi military leaders with close ties to the SEALs cast doubt on the case military prosecutors have formed against Special Operations Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher, who’s accused of murdering a wounded prisoner of war, according to records provided to Navy Times.
Their transcribed interviews contradict nearly every aspect of the federal case against Gallagher, 39, who faces up to 18 criminal counts, including premeditated murder for allegedly stabbing to death a badly wounded Islamic State detainee near the Iraqi city of Mosul on May 3, 2017.
A report prepared by the Naval Criminal Investigate Service on Oct. 22 — five weeks after Gallagher was arrested by federal agents and incarcerated in the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in San Diego — includes an interview in Baghdad with Iraqi Emergency Response Division commander Maj. Gen. Abbas al-Jubouri and his aide, Col. Issa Kadhim.
The ERD is the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior’s elite special forces unit, and both al-Jubouri and Kadhim worked closely with Gallagher’s SEAL platoon during anti-Islamic State clearing operations in northern Iraq in 2017.
Although painted by prosecutors as a sadistic SEAL sniper who took pot shots at Iraqi civilians, including children, al-Jubouri considered “Chief Ed” to be “always professional and I always worked so close to him,” according to his translated interview with an NCIS agent.
There’s a lot of this explosive article left to read. Don’t miss it at The Navy Times
Category: Afghanistan
I hope justice is served, whatever it might be. I’m hoping that whatever the faults of this warrior, they do not rise to the level of being a murderer. From what I have read here and several other sites (Google, others), there seems to be variations in what is reported. We need warriors such as this; we don’t need those who take the lives of noncombatants. When this is over I’m hoping he is back in uniform with no charges found to be valid. Geez …
The questions posed were not of the type that an attorney would use in cross-examining either of the interviewed Iraqis. Based on the questions, can you tell me if either was present when the fellow expired? If so, pinpoint it for me. I missed it. And this Q/A is interesting: “When asked directly by the NCIS interviewer if they had seen Gallagher kill the wounded prisoner, al-Jubouri said, “No. Why would he do this? There was no need for this.”
If you were there from the time the wounded fighter was brought in until the time he died, would that have been your answer? Or would have been along the lines of, “What? He didn’t kill him. Gallagher didn’t kill him at all. I told you. He died from gunshots.” My experience is in posing questions is that any answer that begins with “Why would I do that?” or anything similar is a bad sign for the person answering. Whether such an answer crosses cultural lines I can’t say. As for whatever else happened elsewhere, neither Iraqi was present. The best they can do is say that they would have heard if Gallagher was acting bizarrely or illegally. That’s worth exactly nothing. Still, it sounds like they would make good character witnesses.
I am not against Gallagher so save it if anyone wants to play that game with me. He may have a trial and likely will. I can await the outcome.
If he did it he should face harsh punishment and a BCD, if he didn’t he should be exonerated. Period. I do think, though, that you are reading too much (or too little) into their phrasing and imbuing it with American connotations. I’ve hung around with non-native English speakers on several continents since high school (longer than I should admit it) and quite often what they may feel is a completely unambiguous declarative statement may not seem like that in their translation to English. Or to put it another way – where you see nothing that says he really didn’t do it, I see nothing that says he really did.
Having spent two years as an advisor to the Iraqi Army I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Iraqi Army Officers lie like they breathe. I would give absolutely no creedence or credit to any sworn statement from one or two without some solid corroborating evidence that clearly supports whatever they purport to be be true. Taking their word over other SEALs (or even the guy running the dozer in the burn pit) isn’t going to happen.
Chief Gallagher’s brother was on the David Webb show yesterday told a compelling other side of this story. It certainly left questions in my mind of why he’s being prosecuted. He was too “mean” to the junior sailors and officers were afraid to speak up for fear of putting their careers in park.
Let me suggest something that seems plausible to me. The fighter died from shock or loss of blood that could not be compensated for, despite the best efforts of those who rendered aid and treatment. After he was dead, his head was detached. The cutting was seen by others and this became the “killing” and, bingo-bango, when the issue is brought to the attention up the CoC, it is looked into and the key issue was “Did Gallagher murder the fighter?” The answer was no but it was too late to keep the noise under secure wraps. The scuttlebutt and whatever then became part of the matter, as interviews permitted others to vent their spleens and “recall” this and that. That’s it. Sometimes, these things grow wildly and, when they do, I think of the Duke lacrosse team and an SOB named Nifong.
Even if true it would still be a war crime under Hague X, Art 16 as ratified by the United States as well as various other treaties. It would also fall under Article 134 as well as being completely batshit crazy.
Ah, and that’s the thing that I am wondering. If my cold conjecture and rank speculation is near the mark, THAT’S when those eight combat deployments factor large.
Eight times I think was just a little bit too much for anyone. The most deployments I ever saw a guy go on was six. I have to say he was not quite right in the head. But I don’t know if he was always like that or just had seen too much.
However, you also have to factor the length of the deployment. For SEALS it is usually less than six month in country. Not a Marine 9 month or Army 12 or 15 month tour. I remember seeing an Airman say he had over 12 combat tours…except his total months in theater were less than my three.
The haji was an “unprivileged belligerent” under the Law of Armed Conflict.
By joining an evil organisation like ISIS one loses all rights and protections. Those who disagree are free to go join the enemy rather than stab US servicemen in the back.
“Losing all rights and protections” would be a negative.
While not entitled to POW status, a captured ISIS/other Islamic extremist fighter does qualify as a “detained civilian” under Geneva Convention IV (POW treatment is governed under Geneva Convention III). Such persons have fewer defined rights and protections than POWs, but are indeed entitled to humane treatment.
Extrajudicial killing and corpse mutilation do not fall under the heading of “humane treatment”. If Chief Gallagher did either, he’s toast – either by court-martial or administrative means. If nothing else, politics and the horrible optics (e.g., war crimes/posing with a severed enemy head) will force that.
“After he was dead, his head was detached”
When the body dies the soul is sent to God.
Removing the melon allows the soul a proper exit. What becomes of it(the soul not the melon) after that is up to God, your Honor.
Prosecuters always going back to “Apocalypse Now” for their mandatory yearly training on how SOF operates.
*****
“Although painted by prosecutors as a sadistic SEAL sniper who took pot shots at Iraqi civilians, including children…”
Again, just wow. Read and re-read the links and whatever else I could find on this. As posted before, I have been an abused victim of false accusations and trumped up charges. I really want this warrior to be acquitted of these charges and returned to either training other warriors or leading other warriors. If he is for sure guilty, then he needs the full punishment. Either way, as we’ve discussed, it is not good for the SEAL Teams to have this type of publicity. I still find it odd about this whole pre-trial confinement thing. West Coast, he’s in jail; East coast, they’re walking around. ??? Am not familiar with NCIS except for small exposure to TV, very small. Don’t really watch any of the 3. In my day Army CID were serving AD Soldiers. Is that still the same, or is it like under Civilian Control? Is NCIS civilians overseen by The Navy or totally civilian? Did see and hear of troops during my time that tried to get rid of platoon and CO grade leaders who they thought were “too tough.” Sissy punks rat fink bastards, IMO.
It was an ISIS taqfir. I couldn’t care less what happened to him.
I agree, Old Soldier. He’s dead and that’s a good thing. However, I don’t want this warrior to be ‘collateral damage’ in the scumbag’s assuming ambient temperature. Even if he was dead when decapitated, IF the Chief cut off his head, that will probably get him in the jackpot. That’s the only part I don’t like. The mofo’s death? That’s a perfect outcome.
Yep. That’s another take that few who agree are willing to say. In WWI, as I have pointed out previously, my grandfather’s unit had a reputation for taking few prisoners. Their numbers weren’t right when compared with other infantry units. There were no investigations that I ever heard or read about. And in WWII, the general public doesn’t want to know what happened in the Pacific.
More of the SJW Bullshit working it’s way through CID from the Obama years
They politicized everything they could to include this
Somehow it will be Trump’s fault. It’s too late to blame either Bush.
I’m sure that Habib just tripped walking down the stairs and randomly landed on an upturned K-bar.
That photo is a lot better than the one used in the previous post. Guy looked like Norman Bates in that one.
So, since it was noted that he is accused of shooting at Iraqi civilians and children, is there any proof of that?
That would be a court-martial offense.
Taking the head off of an ISIS fighter after they are dead is not a crime.
To me it sounds like the same clowns that are decrying us dropping the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
It’s easy to pass judgement sitting in a warm comfortable room and not being on the front lines watching your buddies get killed by someone that lays his weapon down and walks away from it and becomes protected territory.
I cannot pass judgement on anyone that saw what he saw in that horrific shithole in the middle of a civil war that is anything but civil…
Desecration of a corpse is indeed a crime.
If they are going to bust an O6 to O5 for using a sock puppet during a reenlistment ceremony God only knows what they will do to chief using the skull of a recently deceased human as a prop.
I’m just now reading another story of a green beret who may be charged with murder. I tell you what, I’m just going to go ahead and surrender, apparently anybody who killed anyone in the war is gonna eventually be charged. I know im being overdramatic I’m just tired of it.
“apparently anybody who killed anyone in the war is gonna eventually be charged”
A John Kerry wet dream
We can play armchair Quarterback all day – but I stand behind the Chief until proven otherwise. The press is out to destroy the military in general – I wasn’t there and frankly don’t if care he cut off the turds head – Far worse has been done to our boys. I am tired of these “americans” that want war to be a hand holding event.
I believe that what has happened is that this has simply gone on for far too long. Vietnam horrified the general public because it brought war in to the living room on the nightly news. You don’t have to wait for it anymore and get it straight from the source with some unvarnished truth.
Based on what’s been reported, it is difficult to determine the extent of what may have happened. If he was culpable for those things (any of them) that he’s accused of, then let justice take its course. However, I immediately found the story about the reenlistment with the severed head dubious, as any reenlistment would require a commissioned officer (Portier?) to conduct the oath. Additionally, this is not unprecedented by any means. France, Italy and Germany are strewn with the graves of German prisoners who were shot – out of hand – by their American captors, none of whom ever stood trial for war crimes. The difference being that in today’s world so much is immediately publicized, and senior officers, wishing to protect their promotions prospects, are quick to act.
I was thinking the same thing about the reenlistment and thank you for commenting.
Maybe he was a Kathy Griffin fan?
How exactly do you fly a UAS over the corpse? Was he standing over it while he flew it with the Ground Control Station? Are they saying that as the UAS flew over the FOB the body was still lying there? Maybe they have UAS footage of the dead body, with the head severed or not (could prove the innocence)!