Dozens of troops are still being hounded over Iraq
Investigations continue despite pledge by ministers they would end last year
DOZENS of British troops are still under investigation over incidents during the Iraq War despite ministers vowing the witch- hunt would be ended last year.
A 70- strong investigations unit is probing 27 incidents involving 127 allegations, the latest official figures show.
Each incident involves several soldiers.
The unit took over from the controversial Iraq Historical Allegations Team (Ihat).
A total of £40million has so far been spent investigating British troops over a ten-year period but not a single soldier has been prosecuted, figures reveal.
Operation Northmoor, a separate probe into alleged criminal behaviour in Afghanistan, is also still investigating British troops. Officials last night refused to disclose how many Afghan cases they are investigating, leading to claims of a ‘cover-up’ by hounded soldiers.
Earlier this year the Ministry of Defence gave the figure as fewer than ten. The MoD refused to reveal whether the number had increased or decreased.
The policy of non-disclosure came in after Prime Minister Boris Johnson established a new veterans office this summer with a main priority of stopping the witch-hunt against British troops.
The Government announced in February 2017 that Ihat would be shut down following a Daily Mail campaign that exposed its failings.
Sir Michael Fallon, the then defence secretary, said Ihat – which once had 3,600 claims on its books – would have its caseload reduced to just 20 by that summer. He predicted those inquiries would be closed by military police in 2018.
Ihat was shut in June 2017, but figures provided by the Ministry of Defence in June this year show soldiers are still being investigated.
They are now being questioned by a new body based in Wiltshire called the Service Police Legacy Investigations (SPLI).
The unit is made up of 40 members of the military police, 20 contractors and ten civil servants.
A total of 15 of the 27 incidents are under full investigation, with the remaining 12 considered ‘directed lines of inquiry’, which means the case is at an early stage.
Only ten cases were closed in a six-month period. If the investigations continue at the same rate, they could last at least another year – well beyond the pledged end-date.
Last night former soldiers reacted angrily to the figures and pointed to a ‘cover-up’.
Decorated Army major Robert Campbell, who has faced repeated investigations over the drowning of an Iraqi teenager, said: ‘There is no reason to withhold that information, so obviously it’s embarrassing to the Ministry of Defence.
‘It might be a cover-up because they are putting people under surveillance again. Who do the accused turn to though? Obviously the Army doesn’t care, nor does the MoD, so who looks after their interests?’
Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, said: ‘The Government gave a very strong impression Ihat was being shut down but now clearly the same thing is happening under a different name in an attempt to bamboozle people.
‘What this is doing is hounding soldiers who have served their country over things that happened years ago. If there had been any genuine case to answer it would have been dealt with years ago.’
An MoD spokesman said: ‘ Our armed forces served with bravery and distinction, and we rightly hold them to the highest standards.
‘Where there are credible claims of criminal behaviour, it is right they are investigated.’
WITCH-HUNT AGAINST OUR HEROES AT LAST, AN END TO THE WITCH-HUNT
The Mail, February 11, 2017 Troops witch-hunt ‘is close to ending’
December 5, 2018 First minister for veterans to fight witch-hunt
July 29, 2019
DESPERATE to bask in the courage and honour of the Armed Forces, politicians eulogise about the military covenant.
This is the Government’s solemn pledge that in return for their sacrifice, our troops will be looked after when their service ends. Today, that promise rings hollow. More than 16 years after Tony Blair began his bloody war in Iraq, soldiers who risked life and limb fighting for Queen and country are being remorselessly hounded.
As the Mail reveals, dozens of innocent troops are still being investigated over false allegations of atrocities and abuse supposedly committed on the battlefield.
The inquisition was sparked by disgraced ambulance- chasing lawyers, clutching copies of the Human Rights Act in one hand and legal aid blank cheques in the other. Yet there has not been a single case to answer.
Three years ago, the Defence Secretary vowed to pull down the shutters on this farce by winding up a £60 million team established to probe the spurious claims. Yet, on the Kafkaesque nightmare rumbles. Our soldiers are the bravest of the brave. That they have been treated so shabbily is utterly shameful.
IT’S a traditional playground game enjoyed by generations of children. But a school has banned tag – claiming it’s too rough. Parents are, justifiably, bewildered. Wrapping pupils in cotton wool stops them learning about risk and developing the character needed to succeed in life. And, with the worrying obesity epidemic, letting youngsters run around is no bad thing.