(Illustration)
Photo: Tsafrir Abayov
8 IDF soldiers go AWOL over cleanup duty
Paratroopers Brigade soldiers take offense to commander's orders, abandon their post; will face dereliction of duty charges
Eight Paratroopers Brigade soldiers are facing dereliction of duty charges for abandoning their post, Ynet learned Wednesday.
The soldiers, who serve in the Paratroopers' 890th Airborne Battalion, are accused of leaving one of the unit's Hebron outposts on Tuesday without permission. The reason: They were asked to clean it – a duty they believed should be performed by the Brigade's "newbies."
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The group initially included 20 soldiers, but 12 of them agreed to retune to their base. The eight that refused will be tried.
The event took place shortly after a new commander was introduced to the unit. The soldiers – all of whom are snipers – claimed that he ordered them to perform tasks senior soldiers in the unit were traditionally exempt from. The final straw, they said, was cleanup duty.
Paratroopers Brigade officials said that the incident was especially grave given the fact that the post in question was part of the Brigade's operational deployment.
IDF sources said that the scope of such "rebellions" – which usually pertain to seniority-based complaints – has lessened significantly over the past few years, due to harsh punitive action taken against such "rebels."
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit offered the following comment: "Eight soldiers who were asked to perform routine maintenance duties refused orders and left their outpost. The IDF views such incidents with great severity and will take the necessary disciplinary action against the soldiers."
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