Claims British Army mutilated Iraq dead ‘baseless rumours’

On the first day of evidence from military witnesses, the Al-Sweady Inquiry was told that claims that Iraqis killed in the Battle of Danny Boy were mutilated were “baseless rumours”, spread to discredit coalition forces.

The inquiry is examining claims, denied by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), that 20 or more Iraqis were unlawfully killed at Camp Abu Naji (CAN) near Majar-al-Kabir on May 14 and 15 2004, and detainees were ill-treated there and later at Shaibah Logistics Base.

Colonel Adam Griffiths told the inquiry he had not seen any evidence to suggest that bodies taken to CAN were mutilated, nor heard anything about detainees being mistreated.

The officer, who was commanding B Company, 1st Battalion the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, on May 14 2004 said he was leading a “rover group” returning from another camp called Condor, when it was ambushed by insurgents.

Col Griffiths admitted an order to take bodies of dead Iraqis back to CAN was “highly unusual” but may have been part of an effort to identify those responsible for the murder of six Red Caps in Iraq the previous year.

But Col Griffiths said he did not, and had never, believed rumours that troops had mutilated bodies before they were handed back.

In a statement, he said: “I thought then, and I still think now, that the rumours were baseless and caused by a combination of ignorance amongst the local population as to the traumatic injuries that can be suffered in combat and the misinformation spread by insurgents who wished to discredit the coaltiion forces.”

Col Griffiths said he had seen nothing to suggest mistreatment of detainees at CAN, nor mistreatment on the battlefield, or any “executions”.

He said around 12 Iraqi bodies were brought back to CAN in Land Rovers, five or six in each vehicle. “I did not observe anything that appeared to be inconsistent with battlefield injuries.”

Sergeant James Gadsby, who at the time was attached to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, helped unload the bodies from the Land Rovers and said he had not seen any injuries that did not look like battlefield injuries.

Sgt Gadsby said he had no involvement with detainees, and did not hear of anyone complain about the way detainees were treated.

Earlier, Col Griffiths told the inquiry he was not aware of any detainee or anyone else protesting about their treatment.

The inquiry, sitting in central London, continues today.