Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

A First Look at Fresno State’s Quarterback Battle

2 days ago

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

2 days ago

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

2 days ago

Thailand and Cambodia Exchange Heavy Artillery Fire as Border Battle Expands

2 days ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

3 days ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

3 days ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

3 days ago
Marine Testifies Navy SEAL Didn't Stab Iraq Captive
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
June 28, 2019

Share

SAN DIEGO — A Marine who worked jointly in Iraq with a decorated Navy SEAL accused of murder testified Thursday that the platoon chief did not stab a wounded teenage Islamic State prisoner as alleged by other platoon members.
Marine Staff Sgt. Giorgio Kirylo said he watched as Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher tried to save the 17-year-old captive and never saw him use his hunting knife on him.

Gallagher is accused of fatally stabbing the adolescent captive while he was under his care in Iraq in 2017 and to shooting civilians. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder.
Gallagher is accused of fatally stabbing the adolescent captive while he was under his care in Iraq in 2017 and to shooting civilians. He has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder.
After the boy died, Kirylo said he moved the corpse to pose for a “cool guy trophy” photo because it was the platoon’s first Islamic State prisoner captured from their battlefield.
He said he lifted up the teen’s body to put the corpse’s head on his foot when a bandage on his neck popped up. Kirylo testified that he saw no stab wounds under the dressing.
He said each member of the platoon took turns posing with the body, and no one was upset.
He said the platoon members took turns taking photos with the body because they were excited that they had coordinated an air strike with Iraqi troops that had killed Islamic State fighters including the captive’s commander.
“This was our unofficial war trophy,” the Marine Raider said.
Kirylo statements contradict those of SEALs who testified that Gallagher, who was on his eighth deployment, stabbed the prisoner.
Two of the SEALs testified that they witnessed the stabbing, but one — Corey Scott — said he was the one who ultimately killed the militant by plugging his breathing tube with his thumb as an act of mercy.
 

SEALs Said Their Names Were Made Public, Spread on Social Media

The Navy said it is reviewing Scott’s statements following his stunning testimony last week and it may press perjury charges.
Kirylo said he was close friends with several SEALs who reported the stabbing, but he now considers them liars.

“If he did any mistake with this kid, or if anyone had from the Navy SEALs, I would have stopped them.” — Gen. Abbas al-Jubouri, whose forces were partnered with U.S. troops
Many of the SEALs who testified said their names were made public and spread on social media because they came out against the chief. One indicated taking the stand has jeopardized his career.
Kirylo described the team as full of young SEALs who complained about Gallagher putting them close to the front lines and stealing their care packages. He described Gallagher as an “old school” SEAL whose aggressive style was forcing ISIS fighters to come “out of the woodwork into a shooting gallery.”
He said the night after the militant died that one of the SEALs encouraged the team to delete the photos, telling them it was a war crime. Kirylo told them it was not.
The military jury on Thursday also saw videotaped testimony taken June 3 from the Iraqi general who handed over the war prisoner after he was injured in the airstrike outside Mosul.
Gen. Abbas al-Jubouri, whose forces were partnered with U.S. troops, testified that he ordered his troops to hand over the militant to Gallagher and his fellow SEALs because he wanted to keep him alive for interrogation later.
The general said during defense questioning that he did not see Gallagher harm the captive in any way — and if he had, he would have spoken up.
“If he did any mistake with this kid, or if anyone had from the Navy SEALs, I would have stopped them,” al-Jubouri said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Wanted Man Following DUI Traffic Stop and Chase

DON'T MISS

Trump, EU’s Von Der Leyen to Meet on Sunday to Clinch Trade Deal

DON'T MISS

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

DON'T MISS

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

DON'T MISS

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

DON'T MISS

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

DON'T MISS

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

DON'T MISS

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

DON'T MISS

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

UP NEXT

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

UP NEXT

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

UP NEXT

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

UP NEXT

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

UP NEXT

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

UP NEXT

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

UP NEXT

Gaza Running out of Specialized Food to Save Malnourished Children

UP NEXT

Key Player in California’s Water Wars Embraces Controversial Newsom Plan

UP NEXT

Israeli Columnist Alleges Ethnic Cleansing Plan in Gaza

UP NEXT

Tesla to Roll out Bay Area Robotaxis With Safety Drivers, Report Says

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

22 hours ago

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

1 day ago

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

1 day ago

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

1 day ago

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

1 day ago

Grand Rising Brings Sober Day Party Vibes to Fresno

1 day ago

Jack McAuliffe, Who Started a Craft Beer Revolution, Dies at 80

1 day ago

Fresno Crash Leaves One Dead After Car Submerges in Canal

1 day ago

Lemoore Farmers Fed Up With Lack of Representation on Groundwater Agency

1 day ago

‘Jenny from the Block’ Rescued After Camping Out by Calwa ATM

1 day ago

Visalia Police Arrest Wanted Man Following DUI Traffic Stop and Chase

A 20-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after leading officers on a pursuit into Tulare County, authorities said. Just after 1...

2 minutes ago

Visalia police arrested a 20-year-old man with multiple felony warrants early Saturday after he fled a DUI traffic stop, leading officers on a pursuit into Tulare County that ended with spike strips and a CHP PIT maneuver. (Visalia PD)
2 minutes ago

Visalia Police Arrest Wanted Man Following DUI Traffic Stop and Chase

President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2020. (Reuters File)
9 minutes ago

Trump, EU’s Von Der Leyen to Meet on Sunday to Clinch Trade Deal

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. (Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
12 minutes ago

Israel Announces Daily Pauses in Gaza Fighting as Aid Airdrops Begin

The entire board of Highlands Community Charter in Sacramento stepped down after a state audit found the school improperly received over $180 million and engaged in questionable spending. (Shutter
22 hours ago

California School Board Resigns After Audit Reveals $180M in Improper Funding

The NASA logo is seen at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., April 16, 2021. (Reuters File)
1 day ago

NASA Says 20% of Workforce to Depart Space Agency

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and French President Emmanuel Macron visit a ward for Palestinian patients at El Arish Hospital, close to the border with the Gaza Strip, in Arish, Egypt April 8, 2025. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
1 day ago

Frustration, Gaza Alarm Drove Macron to Go It Alone on Palestine Recognition

U.S. President Donald Trump golfs at Trump Turnberry resort in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 26, 2025. (Reuters/Phil Noble)
1 day ago

Trump Golfs in Scotland as Epstein Questions Persist

Noah Robinson, 38, was arrested after allegedly robbing a Visalia Long John Silver’s at knifepoint and attempting to flee through nearby backyards with $110 in stolen cash on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Visalia PD)
1 day ago

Visalia Police Arrest Armed Robbery Suspect at Long John Silver’s

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend