Trump pardons former Army soldier who killed Iraqi prisoner

In 2008, U.S. forces captured Ali Mansur, a suspected al-Qaida member, after a roadside bomb killed two American soldiers in a convoy traveling north of Baghdad, according to the Washington Post. An intelligence report linked Mansur to the attack, but the military couldn’t conclusively prove his involvement and was forced to free him.

Behenna, an Army Ranger in the 101st Airborne Division and a friend of the two soldiers who had been killed, was tasked with taking Mansur back to his village. But instead, Behenna and his platoon took Mansur to a remote area, cut off his clothes with a knife, bound and blindfolded him, and interrogated him about the attack. A military court filing reports Behenna threatened Mansur: “This is your last chance to tell the information or you will die,” Behenna said, according to the New York Times.

Mansur reportedly agreed to talk, but Behenna shot Mansur in his head and chest. Behenna told the other soldiers that “he would do it again, and he did not feel bad about it because he just lost two guys,” according to the court filing.