Troops shot Iraqi civilians dead in cold blood, new dossier claims
Eight new instances today and an impending Amnesty report throw doubt
on the conduct of UK soldiers in Basra
By Severin Carrell and Andrew Johnson
09 May 2004
Eight new cases of Iraqi civilians allegedly being shot dead in cold
blood by British troops are detailed in documents seen by The
Independent on Sunday.
The deaths will be added to a dossier of more than a dozen such cases
being presented to the High Court in London on Tuesday.
Lawyers acting for the dead men's families will urge the court to ask
Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, to hold an independent
judicial inquiry into the deaths - a demand backed by senior MPs.
The new cases, which all happened around Basra, are those of:
Hilal Finjan, an elderly school guard who was shot dead on 4 October
last year as he tried to prevent rioters getting into the school. He
was waving his legally held rifle in the air to warn off
demonstrators. Witnesses insist no rioters had fired any weapons.
Ali Kadhim Shamkhi was shot in the stomach on 10 November as he ran to
help his father, an education ministry civil servant, whose building
was under fire from British troops. The soldiers had heard ministry
guards firing warning shots in the air.
Jawad Kadhim Bahidh was on his roof with his wife and six children on
28 August, and was shot after lighting a cigarette. Local children had
been throwing fire crackers nearby.
As'ad Kadhim Jassim's taxi was hit by "a barrage of bullets" on 3
November after it passed through a checkpoint which witnesses claim
seemed to be unmanned and unlit. He was shot in the back of the head.
Ameen Ajman Ismail was providing security for a demonstration on 14
September and carrying an assault rifle for protection. After he had
passed several British patrols without incident, one unit opened fire.
Witnesses claim there was no provocation.
Husam Salih Owaid was a cigarette-seller close to an angry
demonstration outside a police station on 9 August. He was shot after
British soldiers fired on the demonstrators.
Ghanim Gatteh was killed during wedding celebrations on 2 January this
year. British troops opened fire about 15 minutes after villagers had
fired customary shots in the air.
Ammar Shakir Mahmood was shot as he watched neighbours celebrate the
lifting of UN sanctions on Iraq on 28 May 2003. People had fired in
the air in celebration.
Uncovered by Public Interest Lawyers, a Birmingham-based human rights
law firm run by a solicitor called Phil Shiner, the cases also include
several that raise accusations of torture against British troops. They
include the battalion involved in the Daily Mirror's allegations, the
Queen's Lancashire Regiment.
They come on top of existing allegations about Iraqi deaths in British
custody and other civilian killings. On Tuesday, Amnesty International
will renew its allegations that British soldiers unnecessarily used
"lethal force" against Iraqi civilians.
Amnesty claims that the extent of army misbehaviour has been hard to
gauge because of the secrecy with which MoD and army military police
investigate wrongful death allegations. When British troops took
control of Basra a year ago, there were high hopes that the battle for
hearts and minds could be quickly won. Soldiers began foot patrols in
berets instead of helmets, and set about rebuilding the city's
schools, hospitals and power supplies.
It seemed that the hard-won reputation of the British Army as expert
peacekeepers had been justified. But now a different picture is
emerging, where British troops torture Iraqi prisoners, and civilians
are shot dead in their homes.
Since the Mirror published controversial pictures eight days ago that
allegedly showed soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment
urinating on and beating Iraqi detainees, the Army has had one of its
worst weeks for years.
Now that controversy is set to deepen. On Tuesday, lawyers acting for
more than 20 Iraqi families go to the High Court to accuse British
soldiers from at least four regiments of killing detainees and
shooting unarmed civilians - including the cases revealed by The
Independent on Sunday.
These eight cases were uncovered by Mazin Younis, an Iraqi working for
Public Interest Lawyers, which is behind the court action.
Defence ministers have admitted that 33 alleged cases of civilian
deaths, injuries or ill-treatment by British troops have been
investigated so far, including 18 killings. Among those are six deaths
in custody. One of those cases was revealed by Robert Fisk in the IoS
on 4 January - that of Baha Mousa, 26, allegedly so badly beaten by
Queen's Lancashire troops that he died. In a second case, Ahmed Jabbar
Kareem Ali drowned when he was forced to swim across a river after
being beaten by British soldiers.
In March, the MoD admitted it has paid more than £15,000 in
compensation in 23 cases of wrongly killing civilians. In January,
ministers said £72,000 had been paid for all compensation claims.
But no British soldier has been charged, disciplined or dismissed. The
MoD confirms that one case is with the Army Prosecuting Authority, but
some reports suggest six soldiers face charges.
Faced with similar accusations against US forces, the Pentagon has
sacked at least three soldiers and suspended more than 20 others,
including a brigadier general and eight other soldiers.
The US cases have been investigated by Congress in televised hearings,
and President George Bush and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have
apologised.
In the UK, only three MPs have asked questions about British cases and
no parliamentary committee has yet begun inquiries.
The MoD and officers involved insist the British cases are isolated.
One Queen's Lancashire Regiment insider said: "The feeling in the
regiment is anger. We are proud of what we did in Basra last year. We
took over a lawless society, and when we left, a considerable degree
of normality had returned.
"The officers and the ordinary soldiers want to get to the bottom of
it, and if there are bad apples they want them out."
A year of deaths and humiliation
May 2003: Gary Bartlam, 18, of the Royal Fusiliers arrested after
pictures of humiliation of prisoners are developed in a shop in
Staffordshire.
4 January 2004: Robert Fisk reveals allegations that Baha Mousa was
beaten to death in British custody in Basra.
11 January: Four deaths in custody and 13 other deaths of civilians by
British troops being investigated.
8 February: Soldiers facing charges over deaths in custody.
29 February: Ann Clwyd, the Prime Minister's human rights envoy, to
investigate allegations of deaths in custody.
1 March: The Independent reveals 12 cases of Iraqi civilian deaths
which lawyer Phil Shiner intends to take to the High Court in London.
18 March: Amnesty International publishes report alleging torture by
UK troops.
1 May: Daily Mirror publishes photographs apparently showing soldiers
beating and urinating on Iraqi detainees.
May 4: Government pledges inquiry.
May 5: Mr Shiner launches 20 claims in High Court.
9 May 2004 13:10
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