Saturday, May 31, 2003
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By Hasan Suroor
The unnamed soldier, picked up from his home in Staffordshire, is the second British officer in the past two weeks to have been accused of mistreating Iraqi prisoners, but his case is regarded as the more serious because, ironically, it is based on photographs which he himself took after allegedly torturing an Iraqi. The Ministry of Defence said it was `appalled' by the allegations and confirmed that an investigation had been launched. It said it took its responsibility to PoWs under the Geneva Convention "extremely seriously''. The Sun newspaper, which broke the story, said the incriminating photographs showed an Iraqi prisoner of war ''bound, gagged and suspended from a forklift truck''. There were also photographs of scenes of obscene physical acts being performed by soldiers close to the Iraqi captives. The pictures were discovered by the owner of a photographic shop to whom the soldier had given a roll to be developed. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We confirm that an investigation is being conducted into allegations that a soldier took photographs depicting mistreatment of Iraqi POWs.... if there is any truth in these allegations the MOD is appalled.'' The incident came as an investigation was already under way against another soldier, Tim Collins, for allegedly punching, kicking and pistol-whipping Iraqis. Before he fell from grace, Col. Collins was praised by Prince Charles for his rousing address to his troops at the start of the war, and was given promotion. A copy of his speech apparently occupies a place of pride in the U.S. President, George W.Bush's Oval Office. Col. Colllins claims that he has been falsely implicated by an American soldier out of `spite'. The incidents are deeply embarrassing for the British government which has consistently singled out its soldiers for their exemplary conduct, and often (unfair) comparisons have been made with their U.S. counterparts. On Thursday, he complimented his troops in Basra for their `courage' and `professionalism'. "The way you won the war was extraordinary. The way you are conducting the peace is remarkable,'' he said unaware of the scandal brewing back home.
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