It can be awfully tough to tell "when the fighting is over".
I think my biggest problem with this whole debate/exercise is that it is strictly a one-way street. Can you imagine a situation where insurgents get the upper hand on a squad, and a lone surviving soldier raises his hands and attempts to surrender? Dead.
“Can you imagine a situation where insurgents get the upper hand on a squad, and a lone surviving soldier raises his hands and attempts to surrender? Dead.”
I don’t have to imagine it, it actually happened in Iraq. A marine sniper team was trapped and all were killed but one of them. The lone survivor was found days later having died from torture. The fact these animals do this sort of thing to us does not mean we have to do it to them. We have always had a tradition that says we don’t kill the enemy when he has surrendered and it is important for the morale of our troops we continue this rule.
I agree it is hard to tell sometimes when the fighting is over and if an enemy soldier who is trying to surrender gets killed in the confusion, then so be it, no one is at fault. I’m not suggesting standards that puts our troops in danger. I am simply saying that a bound enemy combatant is clearly no threat and should be treated humanely.