MarSOC mum after general’s comments - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

MarSOC mum after general’s comments

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — One day after blistering public statements by the top special operations officer in the Middle East, who told The Washington Post on Sunday that a company of spec ops Marines shot and killed innocent civilians following an ambush in Afghanistan, a spokesman for the Marine company is not commenting.

Army Maj. Gen. Frank Kearney, head of U.S. Special Operations Command-Central Command, told the newspaper in an unusually candid telephone interview that statements from the Marine special operations company at the heart of the ongoing investigation appeared to be in conflict with statements made by Afghan witnesses. He said there was no evidence to support the Marines’ contention that they took small-arms fire after a suicide bomber crashed into their convoy on March 4.

“We found … no brass that we can confirm that small-arms fire came at them,” Kearney, referring to shell casings, told the newspaper. “We have testimony from Marines that is in conflict with unanimous testimony from civilians at the sites.”

Kearney ordered the initial investigation into the alleged shootings, which reportedly left roughly a dozen killed and many more wounded. He has since referred the matter to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for possible criminal charges.

In the meantime, Maj. Cliff Gilmore, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, is not commenting on the Army general’s statements to the Post.

“The investigation wasn’t initiated by us,” Gilmore said.

Kearney pulled all 120 members of the company out of Afghanistan days after the attack. The company’s commander and senior enlisted leader were relieved April 3, but the rest of the company remains on deployment in the Middle East.

According to the preliminary investigation, 10 civilians were killed and 33 wounded. Another report, this one from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and released Saturday, concluded 12 were killed and 35 wounded.

Kearney also told the newspaper that there were other problems with associated with the performance of the company, which deployed from Camp Lejeune, N.C., in January and entered Afghanistan the following month. He said the company opened fire on civilians in a separate incident, had a vehicle accident, and that there were discipline and administrative problems with the company, according to the newspaper.

MarSOC has received a copy of SOCCent’s investigation, Gilmore said. That investigation is not being released because it has been forwarded to Marine Corps Central Command for review.

Previous stories:

* Afghan report: Marine response violated law

* Probe: Spec Ops Marines used excessive force

* Spec Ops commander relieved

* Army general kicks Marines out of Afghanistan

* First Marine Spec Ops unit deploys

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Spec Ops unit kicked out of Afghanistan