Dear POW Network,

Please pass this reply along in response to the inquiry regarding the death of ABH1(SEAL) Neil C. Roberts

Sir,

The sequence of events leading to the death of ABH1(SEAL) Neil Christopher Roberts are related in the book “NOT A GOOD DAY TO DIE” by Sean Naylor. That book, however, includes an incorrect account of Roberts’ final moments and reports that he was taken alive/wounded and then shot by his captors. Within a few hours of the event there were former members of the Naval Special Warfare community either involved in determining the actual step-by-step sequence of events, or being kept informed. One of those former NSW officers is a personal friend of mine, and a former SEAL Team officer (I must firmly decline to identify him by name, specific Team affiliation, or service time frame). Because of his status as a former SEAL Team officer and his “civilian” work for a firm involved in US security and intelligence matters (again I am not at liberty to be more specific), my friend attended a closed-door briefing which included video footage from an unmanned aerial drone which had been in the vicinity of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan’s Shahikot Valley when the events took place.

There have been numerous, conflicting reports of the actions of that day, and it is clear that many things went terribly wrong (part of the reason for an information blackout regarding the events), but according to what my friend told me, the unmanned aerial drone footage showed Roberts using his SAW, then his sidearm, and finally his few grenades against machine gun positions. During that interaction he was apparently wounded in the legs, which ultimately reduced his ability to evade, and finally resulted in his being killed as the result of a bullet which struck him in the head. The antagonists then moved forward from their cover, firing their weapons as they moved to ensure that he was dead. Apparently they felt that the helicopter from which he had “fallen” would return, and their actions suggested that they intended to use Roberts’ body as “bait”. The video footage reportedly shows a limp (dead) Roberts being dragged by three men from where he fell to a place closer to their machine gun position. His body was searched, and at least one additional shot was made to his head… maybe more.

My friend informed me that it appeared that Roberts had moved aggressively against the machine gun emplacements, and had accounted for numerous enemy combatants, before he ran out of ammunition, was wounded, and then killed by enemy fire. The general consensus of those men involved in the investigation came to the conclusion that Roberts had been sure the helo would return for him (as he was unaware that it was severely damaged) and was attempting to neutralize guns which might be turned against the returning aircraft. His heroic actions – alone – had prompted an examination with an eye to awarding him the CMOH, but due to the lack of evidence that would normally come from companions on the ground (and the stipulation that the actions of CMOH recipients must be observed by a minimum of two others in attendance), that award was ultimately denied and a Navy Cross was posthumously awarded.

Since I was heavily involved in exposing SEAL imposters and answering inquiries about the SEAL Teams, and had been fielding an increasing number of inquiries similar to yours, my friend gave me a very brief overview of the sequence of events in an attempt to give me enough information so that I might provide answers to those inquiries. He was very clear in his statements to me that Roberts was wounded in the legs and then killed by a head shot while fighting from sparse concealment, his dead body was then dragged by three men to a new location where it was dropped and searched, and a very short time later his body/head were shot at least once more and possibly several times At no time did the information I received ever constitute a revelation of classified information, and I was admonished to not go into greater detail than I have given you here. The primary reason for not trying to disseminate information was that the investigation might result in an award of the CMOH and I was cautioned that “we don’t want to disrupt that investigation – let them do their work”.

As noted, the initial press reports included statements about Roberts being captured and then executed, but those quickly and quietly ceased almost immediately. I suspect, but cannot be certain, that key individuals were provided with information which resulted in those public statements not being repeated. I would also note that there was an immediate clamp-down on all information pertaining to the events on Takur Ghar which appeared to be intended to keep outsiders from learning about communications failures between elements involved in that operation… not to prevent “embarrassment” to US higher command elements, but to prevent enemy forces from taking advantage of those failures before they could be resolved.

I, too, have many additional questions about those events, and wish I’d been told more. As I was not present atop Takur Ghar in March 2002, I can relate only what I was told by an individual who was/is “very highly placed”; ABH1(SEAL) Neil C. Roberts was killed while fighting alone against overwhelming enemy forces, his dead body was then dragged to a position where it was apparently intended to “bait” potential rescuers into the kill zone of waiting machine gun emplacements. Enemy combatants manhandled his body and eventually desecrated/mutilated it, including additional gun shots. Roberts was not “captured” or “detained” or “held”… he was killed in action (KIA) and his dead body was then put to use by those who had defeated him.

The “gag order” on details of the event have led (and will continue to lead) many to suspect/claim a conspiracy of silence, a “cover up”, and/or an effort to “spin” the story to hide the truth of what happened. I can only say that the former SEAL officer who provided me with a cursory overview of those events is perhaps the most scrupulously honest man that I know. His former tasking as a SEAL officer led to his being involved in the most intimate evaluation of what occurred at Takur Ghar. He told me that Roberts was killed in action, and that he was not taken alive. That former SEAL officer has been totally truthful when discussing combat events in the past, including accounts of things that did not go right and events which were not reported to the public, and I must ultimately rely upon my personal knowledge of his absolutely truthful nature in the past, and accept his statements as fact. Examination of the varied accounts from various government officials and military men in the days and weeks after the events will clearly show that the story changed with almost every telling; new presumptions are offered and new “details” were revealed from time to time. Yet through all of those variants the story which was recounted by my close friend and former SEAL officer has held up to close scrutiny. As new “details” are circulated from time to time, I find that they actually contain information that I was told years ago by my friend.

The final grim details may never be known since Roberts was the only “friendly” on the ground at the time. Although his actions were seen by an aerial surveillance drone, there was no “audio” and that video coverage was, by definition, remote. There were no officers or enlisted men with him, no one to watch and hear what went on from a ground perspective. In the video from the Predator his limp body was never seen to move during the time it was being dragged, mutilated, and desecrated. From the accounts which I have been given by individual(s) who were involved in investigating the events, I firmly believe that Roberts was KIA and not “captured/executed”.

Respectfully,