‘End military w itch-hunt or risk US special relationship’

THE witch-hunt of British veterans could threaten the UK’s military alliance with America, former US military chief General David Petraeus warned last night.

The former commander of forces in Iraq and Afghanistan said Britain’s military capabilities could be ‘greatly diminished’ if human rights laws could not be balanced against the law of warfare.

‘The very special relationship between our two militaries, which has been built over decades of serving shoulder-to-shoulder in the hardest tests of battle, could be put at risk by the present situation,’ he said.

Gen Petraeus added that an ‘overly expansive interpretation’ of the European Convention of Human Rights could place the UK in an ‘untenable position’ where its forces’ combat ability is limited because they are operating under different laws.

‘The UK’s armed forces are, of course, among the most accomplished and capable in the world, recent reductions in their numbers notwithstanding,’ he said.

‘But Britain’s considerable fighting capacity will be greatly diminished if it cannot reform the legal framework within which it fights, restoring the primacy of the law of armed conflict.’

His comments come as debate continues over investigations into allegations of crimes including murder against veterans of the Troubles, as well as those who served in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gen Petraeus, one of Ameriveterans. ca’s most high-profile military figures of recent years, told an event for the centre-Right Policy Exchange think tank in Westminster that the historic Northern Ireland investigations were ‘relentless and seemingly unending’.

Speaking about the changing interpretations of the Human Rights Convention, he added: ‘This has affected the way military operations are conducted, giving rise to legal inter-operability issues and also to new judicial pursuits against British soldiers and Understandably, this is reportedly having a chilling effect on recruiting, retention, and the overall morale of the British Armed Forces.

‘This has made extensive litigation a reality for British soldiers who used force in a combat situation, even if they were operating in compliance with the law of armed conflict.

‘As was clear in Afghanistan, this can undermine the British military’s capacity to detain enemy combatants and to work with others, including the Afghan government and Nato allies.’

Gen Petraeus said there was now a public perception that personnel of all ranks ‘could end up in the dock for actions and decisions they have taken in the heat of battle’.

‘Even more worrisome, some cases are going back not just a few years but a number of decades,’ he added. ‘It goes without saying that these cases may not just cost the UK Ministry of Defence large sums of money. They inevitably also cause enormous stress and anxiety for those involved in prolonged and tendentious investigations.’

Gen Petraeus was joined by Lord West of Spithead, a former chief of the naval staff.

The Labour peer disagreed with Gen Petraeus that recruitment was being hampered by the current situation, but said retention of personnel and their morale has been damaged.

‘It is outrageous that we shouldn’t look after our people – that should be the absolute driving thing,’ he said.

But, he added, if personnel fall foul of the Geneva Convention, they ‘should be hammered’.