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11-7-2003 Scotsman RMPs hunt for clues to Iraq murders By Gethin Chamberlain in Majar al-Kabir WHITE masks on their faces to protect from the dust, the two military police officers pick through the rubble of the tiny room in the police station in Majar al-Kabir where six of their colleagues died at the hands of an Iraqi mob. It is a painstaking task: picking bits of plaster from the walls, looking for bullet marks, bagging up anything that could provide a clue to who committed the killings. It is a difficult job, not just because of the painful knowledge of what happened, but because those who killed the British soldiers then set fire to the room. The room is illuminated only by a hole, some 6in across, knocked through the wall at about head height, and by light filtering through the doorway from a courtyard. The floor is covered with charred remains of paper files, brickwork, debris. A blackened desk is the only piece of furniture left. Supervising the work is Major Kevin Bellwater, from the army's Special Investigations Branch in the UK. In the more than two weeks since the men died, dozens of people have traipsed through the room and interfered with possible evidence. He admits the task is not an easy one. "It is very difficult given the situation. There is rubble on the floor and paper everywhere. We are trying to look at the bullet marks." He says no sign remains of the bullets that could help to identify the weapons used. Behind him, the two other men scrape at the plaster wall, placing samples into tubes. They have video and stills cameras to record the scene. The man commanding the British forces in the town, Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Castle, says he believes he knows who was responsible for the killings. Finding enough proof to make charges stick, however, is another matter. Whatever Maj Bellwater finds will be taken back to the UK for analysis in the hope that it might throw up an unexpected clue. The station is a low, flat-roofed ochre building, near the northern edge of the town. Another military police officer guards the entrance. Inside, the wall facing the door is pockmarked with bullet holes. Warrior armoured vehicles are parked at the entrance to the street and outside the station, their 30mm cannon enough to deter the most determined of crowds. The British are determined not to risk a repeat of the deadly day. Then, a crowd angered by what they regarded as heavy-handed weapons searches, turned on the men, who were training local police. They were chased into the station and killed in the small room. Their weapons were taken off them - some reports say before they were killed, some after - and have not been recovered. The British have warned local civic leaders that those responsible must be caught and the weapons returned. The troops have been ordered to dominate the town, leaving those responsible for the deaths in no doubt about who is in charge. The civic leaders have made it clear that they are not happy with such an approach. But if there is tension, it is bubbling away beneath the surface. The road from Al Amarah to the north is guarded by two militia men who wave the soldiers through. In the town, the streets are bustling, private cars and taxis vying with lorries and tractors and donkey carts. The shops and stalls are doing a brisk trade and the streets are thronged with people. Lieutenant Antonio Calunniato, from the King's Regiment, is standing outside the station. His Warrior company, attached to the King's Own Scottish Borderers, has been in the town since the day after the killings. He says the people of the town were as worried as the soldiers were angry. "People in the town seemed quite surprised by what had happened, and I don't think they knew what our reaction would be." The local people appear to be tolerating the soldiers, but the feeling of welcome noticeable in other towns in the area is lacking. For the KOSB, charged with restoring order in the town and establishing some sort of stability, the big problem is still the gun culture. The soldiers have to adjust to the local custom of firing guns into the air in celebration, while the townspeople are trying to adjust to the idea of relinquishing some weapons. And even if the gun problem can be cracked, the stand-off appears unlikely to be fully resolved unless those responsible for killing the British officers are handed over. In the meantime, the British are making efforts to improve relations. Lt-Col Castle visited the town yesterday, and the KOSB appears keen to offer help with projects such as re-opening the sugar factory, which could improve conditions and convince its inhabitants that they mean well. For their part, the people of the town have left the troops in no doubt of what they want. On the way out of Majar sits a large concrete sign. A Muslim cleric is depicted on it.
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................................................................................................................. Copyright ©2004 Gethin Chamberlain. All rights reserved. |
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