Allegations of Iraqi PoW mistreatment investigated
Two British soldiers have been sent home from Iraq after allegations surfaced that they had beaten Iraqi prisoners of war.
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the soldiers had been flown out of Iraq and stressed that any mistreatment of PoWs would be punished.
The two soldiers are believed to have been flown to their barracks in Germany as a miltary police investigation proceeds. Their regiment has not been revealed.
An MoD spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm that an alleged incident has been reported involving the beating of Iraqi PoWs.’
‘We would take a very dim view of poor treatment of PoWs and if the case is found to be answered, we will act accordingly,’ she added.
One of the soldiers is alleged to have punched a prisoner in the face and given him a black eye.
The Ministry of Defence is also investigating the deaths of two Iraqis in the custody of British soldiers from the Black Watch Regiment in Basra.
The two men died in separate circumstances on May 13th and 18th. Investigations into deaths in custody are routine and the Ministry of Defence insists there is no evidence either man was mistreated.
The latest investigations follow just days after military police questioned a British soldier after he took photographs depicting troops ‘torturing’ Iraqi PoWs into a high street shop to be developed.
