Former SAS hero facing probe for war crimes denies murder of ‘horrifically wounded’ Iraqi soldiers
Sergeant Colin Maclachlan said he stands by the shootings reported in his new ghostwritten book on the 2003 war, but he's not responsible for them
SAS sergeant Colin Maclachlan last night insisted allies did carry out mercy killings in the 2003 Iraq War but denied he was responsible.
But he said last night: “I certainly didn’t walk up and execute three people.
“I stand by what happened but I didn’t kill them. That’s taking it a bridge too far.”
His book SAS Who Dares Wins, Leadership Secrets From The Special Forces tells how three Iraqis who were left disembowelled or had lost limbs in an ambush were killed by a US-led Special Forces team he was part of.
The book says: “I didn’t enjoy killing those soldiers but I had to put them out of their misery.
“Our Iraqi allies told us they understood the dilemma; that our mercy killings were for the greater good.”
Colin says a ghost-written draft was submitted to a newspaper without him reading it.
He added: “If anywhere in that book says there were three wounded guys and I killed them, all that is absolute nonsense.”
All books are reviewed by the MoD to ensure state secrets are not leaked. The MoD insisted no official inquiry had been launched.