The betrayal of four Iraq heroes
Cleared twice over death of looter – now soldiers face new hearing
FOUR soldiers cleared of manslaughter ten years ago and ‘scapegoated’ by the Army were yesterday dragged before the courts to face a third probe into the incident.
In an inquest- style inquiry likely to cost taxpayers around £200,000, the war veterans were hauled before a judge and quizzed about their role in the drowning of an Iraqi looter in 2003.
To add to their torment, they could now face The Hague – which normally tries war criminals for acts of genocide – despite pledges by David Cameron to put an end to the witch-hunt.
The former Irish Guards were cleared of manslaughter over the death of detainee Ahmed Ali, 17, at a court martial in 2006.
As a result, law firm Public Interest Lawyers took the case to the Iraq Historical Allegations Team, which last year decided there was ‘no prospect’ of changing the ruling.
Despite this, the case was referred to the Iraq Fatality Investigations (IFI), which was set up to ensure the UK was meeting its obligations under the Human Rights Act. It has begun its own inquiry into Ahmed’s death and held its only hearing yesterday – the first to take place since last year, following a Daily Mail campaign to end the relentless hounding of British soldiers who are facing multiple probes into incidents more than a decade ago.
It emerged in a witness statement that one of the men, known only as S017, had to be off work for eight weeks suffering from depression since finding out about the latest inquiry. Other soldiers have told how the relentless inquiries have made them depressed.
S017, a lorry driver, wrote: ‘ My first period of sick leave began on January 20, 2016, shortly after I was informed that there would be an inquiry into the death of Mr Ali.
‘I went to the doctor who diagnosed me with depression. I have been prescribed various antidepressants since this date.’
He also stated that he had quit the Army after his trial in 2006 and feared he was being ‘scapegoated’ over reports that troops had abused Iraqis. ‘I resigned from the Army immediately,’ he wrote. ‘The Army needed to publicly show that it was dealing with the reports and chose to prosecute members of my Call Sign for following orders.’
One of the former soldiers had previously begged to be left alone and said if he was asked to give evidence to the IFI it would be ‘heartbreaking’ after it had taken him so long to rebuild his life.
During yesterday’s inquiry, chairman Sir George Newman told the soldiers: ‘It’s in the interest of each one of you to put an end to this investigation.’
He said he had been informed that they would not be prosecuted as a result of anything they said to him, nor could they be held civilly responsible.
But in a letter from the International Criminal Court, prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the incident still fell within the scope of its preliminary investigations.
She warned: ‘I am therefore unable to provide assurance of nonprosecution in relation to those incidents.’
Ahmed was among four Iraqis arrested after being accused of looting in Basra, southern Iraq, and driven away in a Warrior armoured vehicle. Quizzing soldier S015, a sergeant and commander on the day, Sir George showed frustration over a lack of clarity on how the Iraqis came to be in the Shatt Al-Basra canal, where Ahmed drowned in waist-deep water. ‘This is the time to face up to reality,’ he said.
He did not believe the soldiers’ accounts that the men entered the water voluntarily. ‘That does not have to me any ring of reality about it and I want realism,’ he said.
SO15 said they got into the water without his knowledge while he was turning the vehicle around.
The other soldiers SO16, SO17 and SO18 said they were acting under orders but could not remember what those orders were. They admitted they were ‘wrong’ to let the boy drown after arresting him.
Sir George said Ahmed’s death occurred in the midst of widespread looting, when the practice of ‘wetting’ – throwing or placing suspects into water – was commonplace. He will publish a report on his findings at a later date.
WITCH-HUNT AGAINST OUR HEROES