Seven Royal Marines have been arrested after information emerged that an insurgent was murdered.
A fellow soldier claimed that the insurgent was killed by British troops in a way that broke the army’s strict rules of engagement.
The seven marines were arrested by the Royal Military Police on Thursday and the Ministry of Defence will lead an inquiry into the killing, which is said to have happened last year.
"The Royal Military police have today arrested seven Royal Marines on suspicion of murder.” said an MoD spokesperson.
“The arrests relate to an incident in Afghanistan in 2011. The incident followed an engagement with an insurgent: there were no civilians involved.
"The investigation will now be taken forward and dealt with by the service justice system. These arrests demonstrate the department and the armed forces' determination to ensure UK personnel act in accordance with their rules of engagement and our standards. It would be inappropriate to make any further comment while the investigation is under way.
"As with any serious incident of this nature, there will be an internal review to identify lessons learned. The nature of that review will reflect the developments in and, in due course, the outcome of the investigation."
