25/01/2008

Call For 'Training' Over Soldiers' Treatment of Iraqi Prisoners

Large scale changes are needed to address the way soldiers are trained to deal with Iraqi prisoners.

A senior army officer has said the military needs to "rectify serious flaws".

But Brigadeer Robert Aitken's report also said that while changes are being made, there was actually no evidence of systemic abuse.

The Army report was commissioned after allegations of abuse, including the case of Baha Mousa, 26, who died in custody with 93 injuries in 2003.

Mr Mousa's father said his son was the victim of state-sanctioned violence.

Daoud Mousa said: "These terrible actions could not have taken place without support from senior officers within the British army... I do not accept this report for a second."

Meanwhile lawyers acting for Iraqi civilians said the report was a "whitewash".

The death of Mr Mousa, a hotel receptionist, who died from asphyxiation while in British army custody in Basra, was one of several cases of abuse of Iraqi prisoners that triggered the investigation.

(BMcC)

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