Second Iraq soldier quits
A DECORATED soldier has quit the Army after facing his eighth inquiry into the death of an Iraqi 15 years ago, having been prescribed antidepressants for the stress caused by his ordeal.
The staff sergeant is the second soldier to resign after being told he faced a fresh investigation by the Iraq Fatality Investigations (IFI) unit.
The soldier, who joined the Army when he was 16 and has served for 22 years, was banned from handling weapons after seeking help from the military’s mental health services.
Last week, the serving soldier with the Royal Engineers received a letter from the Ministry of Defence, informing him that officials had decided he must a face a new IFI inquiry into the death of Said Shabram, a 19-year-old Iraqi who drowned in May 2003.
The staff sergeant’s colleague, Major Robert Campbell, who had been
wounded on active service and is disabled, had previously resigned, prompting calls for IFI to be closed down.
“After that letter came through last week I just thought I have had enough of this. It was the absolute final straw,” said the 38-year-old combat engineer, who does not wish to be named. “I read it and went straight on to the computer and signed off to get out the Army.”
He was referred to the Mod’s Department of Community Mental Health a little over a year ago while under criminal investigation by the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat).
The soldier and two colleagues were investigated for the manslaughter of Shabram but were told they faced no charges in December.
“The medication I was prescribed stopped me from being a soldier,” said the officer. “I am no longer allowed to handle a weapon or go on the ranges because I am in a medical category. I am still on anti-depressants.
“My colleagues had noticed a massive, massive change in me when at work. I had bottled it up for years and years. The doctor was fantastic but she basically said there was nothing she could do other than give me medication because the underlying problem was the fact I was under investigation and that in her professional opinion that was the root case of all the stress.”
Politicians and former military leaders have called on Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, to close IFI down. Mr Williamson has said no veterans should endure a “treadmill” of continuous inquiries but has so far declined to budge on shutting IFI.
Johnny Mercer, the Tory MP and former soldier who chaired a damning inquiry into Ihat which led to its closure, said: “I’m surprised this individual has held on for so long, and of course disappointed that he feels so strongly against the Government and the military he volunteered to serve. The Secretary of State should speak with this individual personally to give him a clear idea of the precise human toll of this ridiculous and unfair process.”
An MOD spokesman said: “IFI is not investigating soldiers, it investigates incidents in order to uncover facts, learn lessons and comply with our legal obligations. The MOD ensures that no service personnel are unnecessarily inconvenienced by the IFI process.”