Probe into shocking film of ‘revenge attack’ on Iraqi civilian by British troops after the killing of six Red Caps
By James MillbankLast updated at 2:41 AM on 17th April 201
Shocking video footage which appears to show British soldiers beating an Iraqi civilian during the investigation into the murder of six of their fellow Servicemen is being examined by the Ministry of Defence.
The attack allegedly left the victim badly hurt, covered in blood and with his jaw ‘literally hanging off’. It was apparently recorded by one of the soldiers wearing a camera attached to his helmet.
An internal probe has begun into the circumstances surrounding the footage. The video was passed to The Mail on Sunday by an Army source, who claims that it was taken by soldiers from the Army’s Intelligence Corps following the killing of six British Military Policemen, known as Red Caps, by an Iraqi mob in 2003, soon after the end of the invasion.
Brutal: Part of the video footage which appears to show an Iraqi civilian being punched in the back of an armoured personnel carrier
The whistleblower, whose identity is known to The Mail on Sunday, claims the video shows just part of a brutal hour-long interrogation by three Intelligence soldiers who were attached to an SAS squad on a mission in southern Iraq in September 2003 to find the killers of the Red Caps.
In the footage, which appears to have been edited, men dressed in British Army desert combat fatigues are seen punching and kicking the man in his face as he cowers in terror.
At one point the man’s jaw is struck full force with a kick from a soldier wearing desert combat boots. It is believed the man’s jaw was broken.
The visibly distressed Iraqi seems to beg the soldiers to stop, even apparently pleading to the camera in agony at one point.
Horror: The Iraqi is subjected to a flurry of elbow blows to the temple, as seen in the video footage
The whistleblower says the video footage was filmed near Route 6, the main road running through Majar Al Kabir. This was the town where the Red Caps were slaughtered on June 24, 2003, one of the darkest days of the British time in Iraq.
Following the deaths, a squad of SAS soldiers was sent to the town along with a small group from the Intelligence Corps to join troops from the now defunct Kings Regiment and the King’s Own Scottish Borderers Regiment in their search for those responsible for the murders.
A bungled raid by SAS troops followed on August 23, 2003, in which innocent Iraqi householders were beaten and dragged from their homes by the elite troops after they mistook them for the Red Caps’ killers.
The SAS were forced to apologise for their brutality and compensation was paid to the families involved.
Distress: As the attack goes on, the man clutches his face
Speaking for the first time, the veteran said: ‘I am ashamed at what happened in Majar Al Kabir. We were there to do a job but things started to get blurred. It was like a pressure-cooker in that town and there was so much expectation to find the killers of those six Red Caps that some of the soldiers lost their way. It was a terrible thing to witness.’
The source said his battalion was joined by a small SAS squad and a group of Intelligence soldiers – known as ‘Ints’ – who began paying civilians in the town for information about the earlier deaths. He says the man beaten in the video was one of these touts and was blamed for giving bad information to the Intelligence Corps, which led to the doomed SAS raid.
As a result, three Intelligence soldiers met the informer near Route 6 and took their revenge, according to the source.
He said: ‘Three of them dragged him into the back of our Warrior and began beating the living **** out of him. I was told to stay outside and secure the area with a few other
soldiers and check for IEDs [improvised explosive devices].
‘I knew what was going on inside. The doors were open, and so was the roof and I could hear the Ints setting about this man. He knew absolutely nothing but they held him responsible for the failure of the SAS raid.
‘They punched and kicked him for about an hour. It wasn’t good. I could hear him screaming for them to stop.
‘I was only a few yards from the armoured vehicle during the attack and I could hear everything. The Ints were laughing and goading that chap and seemed to take out all their frustrations on him.
‘One of them was wearing a head camera which he had bought from some American troops. He had improvised it and taped it around his helmet to film what he was doing.
‘After they had finished, they dragged the man out and left him by the side of the road. His jaw was broken – it was literally hanging off – and he was covered in blood. I clearly remember driving off and seeing him on his knees with his head in his hands weeping. It was something that I am not proud to have witnessed.’
'His jaw was literally hanging off': The victim is kicked in the face during the onslaught and may have suffered a broken jaw as a result
The source says that he was so appalled he secretly downloaded a clip of the footage from the men’s laptop as evidence.
The six Red Caps murdered were Sergeant Simon Hamilton-Jewell, Corporals Russell Aston, Paul Long and Simon Miller, and Lance-Corporals Thomas Keys and Benjamin Hyde.
Eight Iraqis were arrested over the killings but six have since been released after charges were dropped against them.
Only two now remain in custody awaiting trial. Warrants are outstanding for a further eight men who are being sought over the deaths.
The Army Intelligence Corps, which has its headquarters in the village of Chicksands in Bedfordshire, is known as the eyes and ears of the Army. Its members commonly work in conjunction with Special Forces.
Pleading: Looking into the camera he begs the men to stop
A senior defence source said last night: ‘We are grateful to The Mail on Sunday for bringing this matter to our attention.
‘We are always very keen to ensure that the very high standards of the Army are maintained, and anyone not doing so is not welcome to remain.’
An MoD spokesman said: ‘The footage and the allegations made have been passed to the Service Police and the Iraq Historic Allegations Team [IHAT] for examination.
‘The IHAT began work in November 2010 to ensure that all allegations are, or have been, investigated appropriately.
‘At this time it is not clear whether there is any substance to these allegations and they should not be treated as fact or as a reason to doubt the professionalism and standards of our personnel.
‘We are committed to investigating all alleged cases of abuse by UK Armed Forces in Iraq.’
The British Army currently faces more than 100 allegations of abuse from Iraqis claimed to have taken place between 2003 and 2009.
Three British soldiers who abused Iraqi civilians held at Camp Breadbasket in Basra were jailed and dismissed from the Army in 2005. They were convicted after ‘trophy photographs’ were found of prisoners being abused. One picture showed a prisoner being bound and hoisted up on the tongs of a forklift truck.
Hotel receptionist Baha Mousa was kicked and beaten to death while being held by British soldiers in Basra in September, 2003. He had suffered at least 93 injuries.
Corporal Donald Payne, of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, pleaded guilty to war crimes and was jailed for a year following the killing. Six other soldiers from the regiment were arrested in connection with the death but were later cleared.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1377719/Probe-shocking-film-revenge-attack-Iraqi-civilian-troops.html#ixzz1Jlt3hySu
