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SAS
soldier quits Army in disgust at 'illegal' American tactics in Iraq
By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent
03/12/06 "The
Telegraph" -- -- An SAS soldier has refused to fight
in Iraq and has left the Army over the "illegal" tactics of United
States troops and the policies of coalition forces.
After three months in Baghdad, Ben Griffin told his commander that
he was no longer prepared to fight alongside American forces.
He said he had witnessed "dozens of illegal acts" by US troops,
claiming they viewed all Iraqis as "untermenschen" - the Nazi term
for races regarded as sub-human.
The decision marks the first time an SAS soldier has refused to go
into combat and quit the Army on moral grounds.
It immediately brought to an end Mr Griffin's exemplary, eight-year
career in which he also served with the Parachute Regiment, taking
part in operations in Northern Ireland, Macedonia and Afghanistan.
But it will also embarrass the Government and have a potentially
profound impact on cases of other soldiers who have refused to
fight.
On Wednesday, the pre-trial hearing will begin into the court
martial of Flt Lt Malcolm Kendall-Smith, a Royal Air Force doctor
who has refused to return to Iraq for a third tour of duty on the
grounds that the war is illegal. Mr Griffin's allegations came as
the Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, visiting Basra yesterday,
admitted that Iraq was now "a mess".
Mr Griffin, 28, who spent two years with the SAS, said the American
military's "gung-ho and trigger happy mentality" and tactics had
completely undermined any chance of winning the hearts and minds of
the Iraqi population. He added that many innocent civilians were
arrested in night-time raids and interrogated by American soldiers,
imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, or handed over to the
Iraqi authorities and "most probably" tortured.
Mr Griffin eventually told SAS commanders at Hereford that he could
not take part in a war which he regarded as "illegal".
He added that he now believed that the Prime Minister and the
Government had repeatedly "lied" over the war's conduct.
"I did not join the British Army to conduct American foreign
policy," he said. He expected to be labelled a coward and to face a
court martial and imprisonment after making what "the most difficult
decision of my life" last March.
Instead, he was discharged with a testimonial describing him as a
"balanced, honest, loyal and determined individual who possesses the
strength of character to have the courage of his convictions".
Last night Patrick Mercer, the shadow minister for homeland
security, said: "Trooper Griffin is a highly experienced soldier.
This makes his decision particularly disturbing and his views and
opinions must be listened to by the Government."
The MoD declined to comment.
© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2006
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