Two British soldiers have been pulled back from Iraq after allegedly beating Iraqi prisoners of war, the British Ministry of Defense has confirmed.
One of the allegations is that a soldier punched an Iraqi prisoner in the face, resulting in a black eye. The two British soldiers accused of beating Iraqis are thought to have been flown to their barracks in Germany, however their regiment has not been disclosed. A Ministry of Defense spokeswoman said, "We can confirm that an alleged incident has been reported involving the beating of Iraqi PoWs”.
"Two soldiers have been returned to barracks pending an investigation, she said, and added, "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."
Amnesty International has been investigating claims that Iraqi prisoners of war were tortured by US and British forces. A "substantial proportion" of twenty former Iraqi PoWs interviewed by the human rights group said they had been maltreated by coalition forces in central and southern Iraq.
According to the BBC, these new allegations regarding the two British soldiers emerged just a few days after military police questioned a British soldier in custody over photographs, which allegedly showed troops "torturing" Iraqi PoWs. Photographic developers had called police officials after they became concerned about several pictures on a roll of film that had been handed in to their shop for processing.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, two Iraqi deaths, which occurred in the custody of British soldiers are also being investigated by military police. It is understood the men were in the custody of British soldiers in Basra and died in separate incidents on May 13 and 18. An investigation into the matter has been launched, as with any death in custody, however there is no evidence at this point to suggest the men were mistreated. (Albawaba.com)
