CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A former Marine counter-intelligence sergeant testified Tuesday that special operations Marines fired into oncoming civilian traffic in Afghanistan last March even though he saw no evidence that their convoy was fired upon.
Appearing before a rare military court of inquiry, Nathaniel Travers, a former staff sergeant, said Marines in his convoy were rushing back to their base after a car bombing when Marine Humvee gunners fired into civilian vehicles on a highway in eastern Afghanistan.
As many as 19 Afghans died in the March 4 incident, which is being reviewed by a court of inquiry -- the first such hearing by the Marines in half a century. The board of inquiry is an administrative fact-finding body, not a criminal court.
"There were a lot of people who died that day who really didn't need to," Travers said in a slow, halting voice during the inquiry's opening day of testimony. "They were just driving in their cars."
An Afghan human rights group accused the Marines of firing indiscriminately, killing civilian men, women and children. Two months after the incident, a U.S. Army colonel in Afghanistan, saying he was "deeply, deeply ashamed and terribly sorry," paid $2,000 each to families of the victims for what he called "a stain on our honor."
The next week, Marine Corps commandant Gen. James T. Conway said Col. John Nicholson's apology was premature because an investigation was still underway.
The board of inquiry is looking into discipline in controlling gunfire, rules of engagement and the "command climate" of Marine Special Operations Company F, the first special operations unit deployed in combat. Its top two officers were brought to court as "designated parties," not defendants.
Lawyers for the officers, Maj. Fred C. Galvin and Capt. Vincent J. Noble, have said the Marines came under enemy fire shortly after an explosives-packed SUV slammed into their convoy near Jalalabad.
Galvin's civilian lawyer, Mark Waple, said Marines involved will testify that they saw convincing evidence of enemy fire before shooting back. Forensic experts will testify that the convoy was struck by bullets, Waple added.
Staff Sgt. Jose Queiro, the gunner in Travers' Humvee, testified late Tuesday that he heard gunfire but did not know its source. He described "controlled fire" by three Marines over a short distance.
"They did an awesome job," Queiro said. "They should've been commended."
