Britain's special forces are at the centre of a criminal investigation following allegations soldiers from a covert unit tortured and abused suspected insurgents in Iraq.
Published: 9:00PM BST 07 Aug 2010
Hundreds of members of the SAS, military interrogators and agent handlers who served with Task Force Black, a counter terrorist organisation that operated in Iraq during the insurgency, are to be questioned as part of a major inquiry into alleged breaches of the Geneva Convention.
The investigation is examining claims that British soldiers used death threats, intimidation and physical violence, as well as sleep, food and water deprivation to obtain intelligence from suspects.
The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that at least six military interrogators who worked closely with members of the task force have already been interviewed under caution by the special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police.
However, senior defence sources have strongly criticised the inquiry, claiming that it is a "witch hunt" motivated by "political correctness". It is understood that the allegations include a soldier "hitting" a suspect on the arm with a rolled up piece of A4 paper.
Those questioned under caution include a captain, as well as senior and junior non-commissioned officers. All of the soldiers deny the charges.
Dozens more interrogators are expected to be interviewed in the coming months as investigators examine hundreds of hours of videotaped interrogations.
The inquiry was launched following allegations that British troops systematically abused hundreds of Iraqis during the war. The probe is being led by the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, which was established to investigate claims of abuse by soldiers. The inquiry has already cost £6 million.
One senior defence source, who has seen video recordings of interrogations supposedly revealing abuse by British interrogators, described the allegations as "laughable" and said they were "entirely without foundation".
The source said: "When I saw the videos of the alleged abuse – my reaction was 'you've got to be joking'. I was dumbfounded. The military police just looked embarrassed."
One interrogator is accused of using death threats when he tells a suspected killer of British soldiers: "If I had my way, you would be taken outside and shot."
Another soldier stands accused of mental torture after he reduced a prisoner to tears when he said: "If you don't co-operate with us, it will be years before you see your children."
The source added: "The interrogators were dealing with violent terrorists responsible for the deaths of British soldiers. They were trying to extract intelligence to save the lives of other soldiers. Those who were compliant were offered the chance of working as agents for the British. This is what interrogators do.
"If we are now going to question their actions then we shouldn't have interrogators. We were fighting a war, they have done nothing wrong. The situation is laughable. Whole sections of special forces are grinding to a halt because someone is accused of hitting a terrorist suspect with a piece of A4 paper."
The interrogators face trial by court martial and a possible prison sentence if the allegations against them are upheld.
Senior officers do not deny that some British troops committed war crimes in Iraq but deny that the abuse was systematic.
Military interrogators and agent handlers are recruited from all three services and are trained by the Defence Human Intelligence Unit.
The troops worked closely with the SAS, especially in Baghdad, where Task Force Black was praised by General David Petraeus for the impact the unit had.
The SAS were responsible for arresting and killing hundreds of insurgents, while working alongside their US equivalent Delta Force. Many of the soldiers now facing investigation took part in "hard knock" operations, where force is used to seize and subdue a suspect.
Senior defence sources now fear that the military police will begin to focus on the activity of troops operating in Afghanistan.
In a separate investigation, a soldier serving with the Special Forces Support Group in Afghanistan has been accused of assaulting a suspected Taliban gunmen believed to have been involved in an attack on a British base in Sangin.
In a follow-up operation, two Afghan men were seen behaving suspiciously and were ordered to stop.
One drew a weapon and was shot and injured while the other suspect was taken prisoner. He was allegedly punched to the ground when he tried to escape and later complained that he was beaten up by the soldier.
A report of the incident was passed to the Royal Military Police and the soldier was removed from operational duty in Helmand, where sources indicate he was a vital part of an intelligence gathering team. The soldier has effectively been placed on "gardening leave" until the investigation is complete but he is now understood to be considering his future in the Army.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "An investigation is under way into allegations of detainee abuse. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/7931821/Special-forces-under-investigation-for-abuse-of-Iraqi-prisoners.htmlSphere: Related Content
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