SAS hero defends his ‘mercy killings’ in Iraq
AN SAS hero insisted yesterday he had done nothing wrong after it emerged he is facing murder charges for the “mercy killing” of three Iraqi soldiers.
Sergeant Colin Maclachlan claimed he had put the men “out of their misery” after they suffered appalling injuries in the Gulf War.
The retired special forces veteran faces prosecution for the incident, described in a new book SAS: Who Dares Wins.
He said he shot the Iraqis for “entirely humane” reasons, when they began screaming in agony and begging to be killed.
Killing mortally wounded enemy soldiers on the battlefield to spare their pain is illegal under military law and contradicts the Geneva Conventions.
But Mr Maclachlan, 42, said the case showed the “harsh reality of combat” when personnel find themselves facing moral dilemmas.
He said: “Our motives were entirely humane. I’ll happily go to court, I’ll happily go to jail, if you think I’ve done wrong.
“But people should put themselves in my position first.
“Walk around in my boots, then judge me. I didn’t enjoy killing those soldiers at the checkpoint but I had to put them out of their misery.
“I didn’t want them to suffer any more.”
The attack at Al Qaim, near the Syrian border, in March 2003, is included in a chapter entitled Handling The Dirty Work.
After firing rockets at three Iraqi army vehicles, the SAS squad found three Iraqi soldiers still alive – two who had been disembowelled and another who had lost three limbs. Mr Maclachlan said: “Special forces operatives quickly put them out of their misery, rather than leaving them to die slowly and in agony.
“Our Iraqi allies told us they understood the dilemma – they realised our mercy killings were for the greater good.
“It was awful. The Iraqis could see our struggle as we tried to help enemy soldiers who were screaming, bleeding out and dying slowly.”
The Ministry of Defence reported the claims to police after being asked to approve the book for publication.
It is understood that the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch is conducting the inquiry.
Mr Maclachlan, a father-oftwo from Edinburgh, was captured and tortured during an SAS mission in Iraq in 2005.
He said: “I’m not playing the victim card for a second but after what I went through, there wasn’t anyone or any lawyer going after my captors.
“And afterwards I accepted that as being part of war, par for the course.
“But everyone in our military, myself included, is held accountable for anything which the ambulance-chasing lawyers can define as a war crime.”
After leaving the armed forces in 2006, Mr Maclachlan went to university and gained a first class honours degree before becoming a writer and actor.
He then became a household name as one of four former special forces instructors on the Channel 4 hit series Who Dares Wins.
The book, out next month, is based on the show which puts ordinary members of the public through gruelling exercises based on SAS selection procedures.
The mercy killings controversy is the latest to threaten British troops over the part they played in the Gulf War.
Last month, Prime Minister Theresa May ordered sweeping changes to stop the “industry of vexatious allegations” targeting the forces.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman declined to comment on the claims yesterday, adding: “Our Armed Forces will continue to be held to the very highest standards.
“Credible allegations of criminal behaviour will always be investigated properly.”