Day of shame for British Army: Shocking brutality uncovered by inquiry

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Up to 14 soldiers will be suspended over the horrific killing of innocent Iraqi Baha Mousa.

In a day of shame for the British Army, a damning inquiry revealed the full extent of the "appalling episode of serious gratuitous violence" inflicted on the 26-year-old hotel receptionist.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox immediately ordered the head of the Army to suspend a number of individuals who are still serving. Charges could also be brought in civilian or military courts against the soldiers who beat Mr Mousa to death.

Mr Fox vowed to break a "wall of silence" among troops to bring those responsible for the shocking brutality to justice.

Branding the killing of Mr Mousa "a very great stain on the reputation of the Army", inquiry chairman Sir William Gage named 26 people in his report, of whom 14 are still in the Army.

The unlawful killing of Mr Mousa, pictured, was "deplorable, shocking and shameful", Mr Fox told the Commons. He added: "If any serviceman or woman, no matter the colour of uniform they wear, is found to have betrayed the values this country stands for and the standards we hold dear, they will be held to account. I expect a number of suspensions."

He accepted the 73 recommendations from the £13 million inquiry bar one, defending the use of short, sharp bursts of shouting aimed at getting information from captives to save lives.

Mr Mousa suffered 93 separate injuries, including fractured ribs and a broken nose, after he was arrested with six other civilians following a weapons find in Basra in September 2003.

Soldiers had placed the detainees in a circle and beat them so they cried out in a "choir".

Mr Mousa was also handcuffed, hooded, starved, dehydrated and kept in a "stress position" in extreme heat. Since 1972 such techniques have been banned in Britain and declared unlawful under the Geneva Convention.

The lawyer representing the Mousa family, Phil Shiner, immediately called for the soldiers responsible to stand trial and said even the regimental padre and medical officer turned a blind eye.

The report said Mr Mousa was subjected to 36 hours of internationally outlawed interrogation techniques because of a corporate failure in the Ministry of Defence.

Sir William called for fundamental changes to training and for every unit to designate an officer responsible for prisoner welfare.

He also named four soldiers who should bear "heavy responsibility" for the death including Cpl Donald Payne, who "instigated and orchestrated" the beatings, and Lt Col Jorge Mendonca, who ought to have known what was happening.

Sir William said Lt Craig Rodgers must take responsibility for the indiscipline under his command and Maj Michael Peebles should have monitored the welfare of detainees. All were members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.

The 2,500-page report exposes the confusion in the Army over what techniques could legally be used to "soften up" prisoners for interrogation. Sir William said: "There was no proper MoD doctrine on interrogation of prisoners of war that was generally available."

He accepted that his criticism could be seen by some as "ungrateful and insensitive" towards British soldiers operating in Iraq but he said he had to achieve justice for Mr Mousa's family.

Mr Shiner described the MoD as "a disgraceful outfit - they just don't care and are proud not to care". General Sir Peter Wall, head of the Army, said Mr Mousa's death cast a "dark shadow" over the Army's reputation.

Cpl Payne became the first member of the British armed forces convicted of a war crime when he admitted inhumane treatment at a court martial in 2007. He was jailed for a year and dismissed from the Army.

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