Did IDF officer lie about leaving soldier behind?

Lieutenant-Colonel Muli Cohen, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division's 74th Battalion has been suspended following an incident in which his signal operator was left behind in a Palestinian village last week. It is suspected that Cohen withheld the truth from his supervisors after the incident.

Last Wednesday, an Armored Corps force entered the village of Budrus near Ramallah for routine activity. The troops left the site shortly thereafter, only without the battalion commander's signal operator. A military jeep collected him several minutes later. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz decided to suspend the commander after the incident.

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An officer who served with Cohen in the past said: "He is a very accomplished officer but should it turn out that he did not speak the truth or report the incident it would be much more serious that the actual operational failure."

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that the decision to suspend Lt.-Col. Cohen was made while taking into account both the professional and normative aspects of his conduct.

Military sources estimated that Cohen would not be returning to his capacity as battalion commander. "The combatant left behind is not just another soldier but the battalion commander's signal operator, i.e. the direct subordinate of the battalion's most senior commander," one source said.

"I don't believe he actually screwed up," one of the combatants said. "It can happen that a soldier is left to secure an area during operational activity and that person is always in contact with his commander. The battalion regards camaraderie as one of its prime values and that's why this doesn't make sense."

The IDF said the incident is still being investigated.

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