Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

Trump's defense secretary pick linked to war-crimes marred infantry

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Washington Post
  • 24 Nov 2024 08:46
5 Min Read

The US invasion of Iraq was marred with numerous war crimes, and the President-elect's Defense Secretary pick was part of the deadliest infantry.

Listen
  • x
  • Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, speaks with reporters following a meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, on November 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
    Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of defense, speaks with reporters following a meeting with senators on Capitol Hill, on November 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP)

A report by the Washington Post recalled what was described as a "security incident" in Iraq, back in 2006, which involved US combat soldiers in Samarra. The soldiers participated in what was later revealed to be the intentional murder of two detainees on May 9, 2006. 

The report explains that the combat soldiers were found guilty of releasing the detainees and then shooting them dead as they ran. But who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, and how was he involved? 

Hegseth joined the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team in the summer of 2005, just before its deployment. 

This account of Pete Hegseth's Iraq deployment draws on interviews with eight sources, military records, and media reports. It paints a picture of a future Secretary of Defense who observed an investigation into military misconduct that upended the lives of his colleagues, according to The Washington Post. 

Hegseth closely followed the cases of Army officers Clint Lorance and Mathew Golsteyn, both charged with murders in Afghanistan, and Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder but punished for posing with an ISIS fighter’s corpse.

In November 2019, after President Trump pardoned Lorance and Golsteyn and reinstated Gallagher's rank despite Pentagon opposition, Hegseth vigorously defended the decisions on Fox News. He argued that Trump supported those making difficult, split-second decisions in combat, dismissing evidence of military law violations. "These are not cases where people went into villages to kill innocent people," he claimed.

'A dark past'

The Washington Post recalls that Hegseth was deployed in 2004 to Guantanamo Bay, where he served at the US detention facility holding 9/11 suspects and detainees from the alleged "war on terror." After a brief return to Wall Street, he volunteered for an assignment to Iraq in 2005, becoming a platoon leader for about 40 soldiers in Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment.

Related News

Russia ratifies military deal with Cuba amid US escalation

Araghchi denies any contact with US envoy Witkoff over nuclear talks

Hegseth led missions first in Baghdad and later around Samarra, according to retired Sgt. Maj. Eric Geressy, who served as the senior enlisted soldier in Charlie Company.

Charlie Company, with around 140 men, was known as the brigade’s most aggressive unit, confronting threats with a boldness that would later attract scrutiny from senior leaders, according to those familiar with the deployment.

'Kill Company' squad

Nicknamed “Kill Company", they kept a whiteboard listing confirmed kills, including civilians. Hegseth, in a 2009 New Yorker interview, explained that the company’s aggressiveness stemmed from training at Fort Campbell. He voiced concerns to his commander about going into a building with weapons drawn, allegedly fearing civilian casualties but was told it was an Al-Qaeda target.

According to the report, he was later reassigned to oversee governance projects in Samarra, a region ravaged by violence, but trouble was brewing for his old unit.

As the investigation into the deaths unfolded, the military's case against the soldiers began to unravel. Two soldiers, Hunsaker and Clagett, were charged with murder, while Girouard faced accusations of complicity and obstruction of justice. Graber, who had initially claimed he shot the detainee to "end his suffering", later admitted that he had acted out of "frustration and anger."

According to the report, the inquiry revealed troubling inconsistencies in the soldiers’ reports, with several conflicting accounts emerging about the events leading to the deaths. Some soldiers claimed they had acted in self-defense, but evidence showed no hostile actions from the detainees. As the case progressed, it became clear that a pattern of misconduct had developed within the unit, fueled by an atmosphere of recklessness and disregard for the rules of engagement.

Eventually, a military court convened to try the soldiers. Hunsaker and Clagett were convicted of unpremeditated murder, while Girouard was sentenced for dereliction of duty and cover-up. Graber was found guilty of aggravated assault for his role in the execution-style killing of one detainee. The scandal rocked the military community, raising difficult questions about leadership, accountability, and the blurred lines between combat actions and war crimes.

Hegseth's bloodthirsty infantry 

According to The Washington Post, the suspicion extended well beyond the soldiers who were eventually imprisoned. Defense lawyers for the accused painted a picture of a violent, undisciplined culture within Hegseth's former infantry company. As one senior soldier in the unit put it, the experience was profoundly impactful for everyone involved.

Critics of Hegseth’s potential nomination highlight his lack of experience leading large organizations and his controversial views, including advocating for the dismissal of generals supporting diversity, opposing women in combat, and claiming Islam is "not a religion of peace."

According to the report, his tattoos were flagged by National Guard colleagues after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot as symbols linked to the far right, yet he denied any association, as per the report. 

  • United States
  • Iraq
  • Washington
  • Pete Hegseth
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS