A young Gurkha soldier, who allegedly decapitated a dead Taliban commander with his kukri to prove the militant’s identity, has been flown back to the United Kingdom to face a court martial, a media report said on Sunday.
The soldier, who is in his early 20s, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of central Helmand province when the incident took place earlier in July.
His unit had been told that they were seeking a “high value target”, a Taliban commander, and that they must prove they had killed the right man, Daily Mail reported.