|
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
News Search
|
|
13-02-2006 Scotsman Beatings add fuel to fire as 6-month probe starts By Gethin Chamberlain Chief News CorRespondent AN INVESTIGATION demanded by Tony Blair into allegations that British soldiers abused Iraqi prisoners may take up to six months to complete, military police said last night. The Royal Military Police said it would need to interview witnesses, visit the scene and speak to any alleged victims before drawing up a report for the Army Prosecution Authority. The army was dragged into the new abuse scandal when it emerged yesterday that soldiers had been filmed beating prisoners and kicking a corpse. Mr Blair, the Prime Minister, promised a full investigation into the allegations, but said they were unrepresentative of the behaviour of the thousands of British troops who had served in Iraq since the start of the war in 2003. The soldiers were apparently filmed in early 2004 - at a time of heightened tensions in southern Iraq - snatching rioters off the street outside a British base and attacking them with fists, boots and batons. The film showed the soldiers chasing stone-throwing rioters after a home-made grenade exploded in their compound. Another clip from the video, filmed by a corporal, showed a soldier kicking a dead Iraqi man in the face. The two incidents are not believed to be related. It is the third time that pictures have surfaced alleging abuse by British troops in Iraq, although one set of pictures, published by the Daily Mirror newspaper, were later proved to be fakes. There is concern within the army that the publication of the pictures, coming so soon after the worldwide furore over Danish cartoons featuring the Islamic prophet Mohammed, will provoke a backlash against British forces in Iraq which could cost lives. Danish troops serve in Iraq and one of the pictures also features a soldier in what appears to be Danish military uniform. Reaction in the Muslim world was mixed. Akil al-Bahadily, an official from the Basra office of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, seized on the pictures as evidence of British abuses. "This is good proof of the violations of human rights committed by British troops in Basra," he said. But al-Jazeera, the Arabic television station, offered a more balanced view, with a reporter in Qatar explaining that it would not be viewed as seriously as the US abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. And Gerald Butt, editor-in-chief of the Middle East Economic Survey, said it would merely reconfirm suspicions of the West. "I think in a way it's what Arabs would expect now, the feeling that the West steps in and misbehaves. I don't imagine there'd be a big backlash against the British in the way that there is against the Danes. It will re-confirm feelings that are already there, that this is a colonial venture and they're treating the Arabs now as colonial powers did 100 years ago," he said. The video, shot during street riots in Basra in early 2004 and later seen by soldiers at their home base in Germany, shows the troops dragging four young protesters off a street and into an army compound. Troops are shown repeatedly kicking, punching and striking young civilians with batons, while a laughing colleague films the scene. The cameraman is heard saying: "Oh yes! Oh Yes! You're gonna get it. Yes, naughty little boys. You little f***ers, you little f***ers. Die. Ha Ha." Major Peter Cripps, an army spokesman in Basra, said there had been no immediate reaction against British troops but the situation was being monitored. He said it was vital that the investigation was carried out as quickly as possible "so we can get on with our job". An MoD spokesman said the allegations were being investigated as a matter of urgency. "We condemn all acts of abuse and brutality and always treat any allegations of wrongdoing extremely seriously," he said. At the time the video was shot there had been an upsurge of violence in southern Iraq. In one incident 14 British troops were injured when petrol bombs and other explosive devices were thrown at them during disturbances in Basra. The MoD has not commented on which regiments were involved, but the incident is understood to have occurred when the British contingent was drawn from 20 Armoured Brigade, bolstered by soldiers from the Royal Scots and 40 Commando. The regiments present in Basra at the time included 1 Light Infantry, the Royal Regiment of Wales and the Queen's Royal Hussars. The Light Infantry, which is based in Germany, are known to have been involved in a number of clashes with rioters in Iraq in 2004, including an incident in January of that year in Amarah in which six Iraqis were shot dead. Relations between British forces and some Iraqi political figures in Basra have also come under strain recently, with complaints about British detention of local policemen linked to numerous kidnappings and killings, as well as friction over British security control over Basra International Airport. But the Prime Minister insisted the "overwhelming majority" of British troops behaved properly and did a "great job for our country and for the wider world". He said: "Their presence there, under a United Nations resolution, helping Iraqis become the democracy they want to become, is of fundamental importance, not just to the security in Iraq but to the security of my country, Britain, and the wider international community. "Any allegations of mistreatment, we investigate, but they [British forces] deserve our fullest support in the work they are doing." The Chancellor, Gordon Brown, said the tape showed "unacceptable behaviour". If the allegations were true, he said, then "those who are responsible will be brought to trial". He said: "This will be acted on - the investigation should take place. The name of the British forces around the world is one we must defend and protect, and it must be safeguarded by taking the action that is necessary. "These are one or two incidents out of 80,000 people who have been in this area. That is not to downplay them but to say we must see this in its proper aspect."
|
|
||||
|
................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
|||||||
