There is an absolute and clear distinction between an Apache pilot carrying out a re-attack and this Royal Marine who committed murder.
There is clear and irrefutable evidence of Taliban getting away from Apache attacks who have returned to Helmand and carried out the fight by killing coalition soldiers. In this case, the Taliban is still a threat and is legally allowed to be re-attacked.
In the case of the Royal Marine, they went out to what they presumed to be a dead Taliban who had been legally attacked. If the Apache crew thought he was still a threat because he was trying to escape then they would have carried on the attack. The marines went out to investigate the post attack and found someone who was alive but injured, clearly not a threat and, had they followed procedures, would have been given first aid and possibly evacuated to a Hospital. This has been and will be done on countless occasions. The Royal, who clearly demonstrated on the tape that he knew what he was doing was against the GC etc, pulled the Taliban away from the PGSS and carried out what has been described by others but is in no way a legal form of a mercy killing.
This isn't just a normal war a la WW2 or Vietnam or Korea in which there was, at times, little regard for civilian casualties by any of the combatants. This is COIN centric where we are there to not only kill the Taliban but to try to leave some kind of infrastructure and rule of law, and as a result we have to play by the rules. Why you ask, because in not doing so, it would endanger the lives of many more coalition troops. I am sure that nobody would wish this but, given the media nowadays, this case damages even more our standing in Afghanistan and hinders our efforts.
Some people have described this as not a murder. Some people who really should know better given their background. They even harp on about the past where such atrocities were committed as if this is an excuse to do it now. I thought we learned about the past so not to commit further mistakes. It appears some still live in the past and refuse to learn. Thankfully, most if not all the people I have and continued to serve with in past and current conflicts do not have this kill at all costs and be damned the consequences.
I just wish that the Taliban in this case had been killed in the first instance then this sorry mess wouldn't have happened. That the Royal in question was a brave honourable soldier who served his country well is without question and I hope he and his family are well looked after. The moment he illegally committed murder, as is done unfortunately every day throughout the world by otherwise perfectly sane people who suddenly snap, he became an unfortunate statistic. Again, people will point to extenuating circumstances given the amount of ****e he will have encountered throughout his otherwise exemplary service. This is not an excuse. He is a well trained and professional SNCO who was a leader and example to those in his section.
His actions could have severely affected those under his command and could have serious repercussions for others in Afghanistan. We should not praise or condone what he did, but we should at least treat him with compassion for what was a momentary lapse in judgement that has destroyed his life.