Troops who shot Corbyn target return to face sack
FOUR soldiers filmed shooting at a photograph of Jeremy Corbyn face the sack for breaching the Army’s strict disciplinary codes.
The troops, from the Army’s elite Guards Parachute Platoon, have been flown home from Afghanistan to face the wrath of top brass who have come under pressure from MPs and media commentators.
The footage – filmed at an indoor firing range in Kabul – was shared on Snapchat and then went viral when it was leaked on Twitter.
The Labour leader said he was ‘shocked’ at the film and there were extraordinary claims that it might lead to a repeat of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox – and that extreme Right-wing political groups could have infiltrated the Army.
In an unprecedented message on YouTube, the Army’s most senior officer yesterday conceded that the troops’ behaviour had ‘damaged our reputation’.
General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, the Chief of the General Staff, said: ‘This hasn’t been a good week for the Army. It has damaged our reputation which is exceptionally hardearned and includes the sacrifice of our friends on the battlefield.
‘We are proud custodians of that reputation, which needs all of us – each and every one of us – to do better. Let’s make sure that together we get this right.’
His uncompromising words added to fears that the troops will be booted out – even though hundreds of others have been given second chances after being caught taking drugs in recent years.
A fifth soldier who recorded the incident on a mobile phone also faces disciplinary action, although military insiders hope that once the political storm abates, he and the comrades who fired at the photograph will be spared the sack.
Sources close to the investigation say the men have also been helped by the failure of the Army’s initial investigation to find any evidence of links to fascist or far-Right political organisations.
In addition, each of the soldiers – whose ranks range from private to corporal – has a clean record. However, commanders believe that their actions have brought the Army into disrepute. Sanctions for doing so include discharge from the ranks or demotion.
A defence source said: ‘These soldiers behaved stupidly, but we are confident they are not extremists and that their conduct amounted to misguided horseplay.
‘This was not, in my view, a politically motivated stunt.’
The Mail on Sunday has established that two of the soldiers are from Northern Ireland and that top brass are anxious that they remain anonymous to ensure their families’ safety.
The men had spent five months in Kabul, where they protected VIPs visiting the Afghan capital.
The job required the troops to memorise the faces of politicians who they might be required to guard. To prepare, the soldiers often print off images and pin them up on the firing range. Colonel Richard Kemp, who served as a British commander in Afghanistan, suggested that the use of the image may have been legitimate.
‘These soldiers trained by firing at a target array of enemy fighters with VIPs and uninvolved civilians among them,’ he said. ‘Yes, there seem to have been shots on Corbyn’s picture. That happens in training and helps reduce the likelihood of it happening for real.’
The Guards Parachute Platoon, part of the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, can trace its history back to the Second World War. The soldiers, drawn from units such as the Coldstream Guards, are handpicked to undergo exhaustive airborne training before being seconded to 3 Para.