‘Bond of trust’ with soldiers put at risk by Iraq inquiries

CONTROVERSIAL Ministry of Defence-funded investigations into alleged Iraqi civilian deaths at the hands of British troops risk breaking the “bond of trust” between soldiers and the Government, the Commons has been told.

Leo Docherty, the MP for Aldershot and a former Army officer, called on the MOD to “urgently review” the case of a decorated Army major who The Daily Telegraph has disclosed is facing an eighth investigation into the death of a 19-year-old Iraqi. Major Robert Campbell last month told how he had been “broken” by the “sordid process” of successive investigations into the death of Said Shabram, a 19-year-old who drowned in Basra in May 2003.

Major Campbell, who has been cleared of manslaughter on several occasions and denies wrongdoing, faces a further inquest-style inquiry by the Iraq Fatality Investigations (IFI) unit.

Mr Docherty said The Telegraph had continued to report “grave concerns” about the IFI and called on ministers to “offer reassurance to our service community that the bond of trust between our soldiers and the Government remains intact”.

Mark Lancaster, a defence minister, said: “My honourable friend makes a very powerful point and this is not about process, this is about people and it’s about the Government’s obligation to look after people, but there we find a balance between supporting our service personnel and veterans, but equally the right of Iraqi families about finding out what happened to their loved ones.”

Major Campbell and another unnamed staff sergeant resigned from the Army after being told they would face the IFI investigation.

Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, has said no veteran should face a treadmill of investigations, but the MOD has said it is powerless to shut down the process.