Investigation claimed to have uncovered evidence of
murders by SAS soldier and sexual abuse of detainees
by Scottish regiment
By Phoebe WestonNovember 17, 2019 "Information
Clearing House" -
The government and
army have been accused of covering up torture,
sexual abuse and child killings by troops in
Afghanistan and
Iraq.
A year-long
investigation by BBC Panorama and
The Sunday Times is claimed to have uncovered
evidence of murder by an SAS soldier, as well as
deaths in custody, beatings, torture and sexual
abuse of detainees by members of Scottish regiment
the Black Watch.
A senior SAS commander was also referred to
prosecutors for attempting to pervert the course of
justice, according to leaked documents that had been
kept secret by the government.
The investigation exposed new evidence from
inside the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT),
which investigated alleged war crimes committed by
British soldiers in Iraq, and Operation Northmoor,
which looked into war crimes in Afghanistan.
The government closed both inquiries in 2017
after Phil Shiner, a solicitor who had taken more
than 1,000 cases to IHAT, was struck off from
practising law amid allegations he had paid people
in Iraq to find clients.
However, some former investigators said Mr
Shiner’s actions were used as an excuse to shut down
the inquiries.
No case investigated by IHAT or Operation
Northmoor has led to a prosecution.
An IHAT detective told Panorama: “The
Ministry of Defence had no intention of prosecuting
any soldier of whatever rank he was unless it was
absolutely necessary, and they couldn’t wriggle
their way out of it.”
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Another former investigator described
the alleged cover-up as “disgusting”,
adding: “I feel for the families [of
victims] because... they’re not getting
justice. How can you hold your head up
as a British person?”
An episode of the documentary series to be
broadcast on BBC One on Monday night will allege
dozens of innocent civilians died during kill or
capture operations involving British special forces
in Afghanistan.
On one night raid in Helmand that was looked at
by Operation Northmoor, a special forces soldier
killed four youngsters believed to be aged 20, 17,
14 and 12 in the guest room of a family home in Loy Bagh village.
The soldier claimed he acted in
self-defence but the victims’ families
said all four had been sitting on the
floor drinking tea when they were shot
dead at close range.
Photographs showed bullet holes in the
mud wall of the guest house had hit
about two feet off the ground,
supporting the family’s version of
events.
Detectives believed the soldier
should be charged with four counts of
murder and referred the case to the
Service Prosecuting Authority
(SPA). They also wanted to prosecute the
officer who commanded the raid for
falsifying a report, along with his
superior, for perverting the course of
justice.
Investigators believed some of the
most senior officers in the UK’s special
forces had covered up the killings, but
military prosecutors decided not to
bring charges.
Panorama also uncovered new
information about the killing of Iraqi
detainees in 2003. IHAT detectives say
they found evidence of widespread abuse
at Camp Stephen, a British army base in
Basra run by the Black Watch and used as
an unofficial detention centre.
One of the detectives told the
programme the abuse of prisoners was
“endemic” at the base, where two
innocent civilians died within a week in
May 2003 after allegedly being tortured.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD)
spokesperson told The Independent:
“Allegations that the MoD interfered
with investigations or prosecution
decisions relating to the conduct of UK
forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are
untrue.
“Throughout the process the decisions of
prosecutors and the investigators have been
independent of the MoD and involved external
oversight and legal advice.”
The MoD said cases were referred to the
independent SPA as a result of investigations in
both Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Cases from Iraq were referred as a result of
historic investigations. It is untrue to claim cases
investigated under Operation Northmoor in
Afghanistan were not acted upon. After careful
investigation, overseen by a former chief constable,
no Northmoor cases were referred to prosecutors,”
the spokesperson added.
The MoD also said Service Police undertook
extensive investigations into allegations about the
conduct of UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
that the SPA decided not to prosecute any of the
cases referred to it.
The spokesperson said: “Our military served with
great courage and professionalism in Iraq and
Afghanistan and we hold them to the highest
standards. It is government policy that military
operations are conducted in accordance with the Law
of Armed Conflict and where allegations are raised,
they are investigated.
“The Sunday Times’ claims have been
passed to the Service Police and the Service
Prosecuting Authority who remain open to considering
allegations.”
Additional reporting by PA
This article was originally
published by "The
Independent" -
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