Mutilation claims of Iraq bodies are 'baseless', says British officer
A BRITISH officer has said claims soldiers mutilated the bodies insurgents killed in a battle in Iraq are 'baseless rumours' during an inquiry today.
The Al-Sweady Inquiry is examining claims that Iraqis killed in the Battle of Danny Boy were mutilated and 20 or more were unlawfully killed at Camp Abu Naji (CAN).
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has denied claims Iraqis were unlawfully killed at CAN near Majar-al-Kabir on May 14 and 15 2004 and that detaines were ill treated.
Colonel Adam Griffiths said he had not seen evidence to suggest that bodies taken to CAN were mutilated and said the rumours were spread to discredit coalition forces.
He said: "I did not believe any of our soldiers had mutilated a body and I did not see at the time, and have not seen since, any evidence to support this proposition.
"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."
Colonel Griffiths was the commanding officer of B Company - 1st Battalion the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, when he was leading a 'rover group' that was ambushed.
He admitted an order to take the dead bodies of Iraqis back to CAN was 'highly unusual' but felt it must have been for a good reason.
Colonel Griffiths said around 12 Iraqi bodies had been brought back to CAN in Land Rovers but he did not see anything inconsistent with battlefield injuries.
He said: "I was standing about five metres away from the vehicles and I could see gunshot wounds to the limbs, torsos and heads of the bodies.
"I did not observe anything that appeared to be inconsistent with battlefield injuries. I can recall that some of the limbs must have been broken as they were sticking out at unnatural angles."
