Military police probe Afghanistan abuse claims

More than a decade after the first United Kingdom troops were deployed to the country, the Daily Telegraph has revealed that an independent police unit has been set up to examine allegations of war crimes. But this is what the laws of war, including human rights, provide, ” she said, adding that the lawyers who drafted the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), “many of them British Conservatives”, had “made clear that it applies during wartime, tailoring its requirements to the necessities of conflict.

The RMP has sought support from the National Crime Agency and Greater Manchester Police to act as mentors and review officers.

“Our armed forces are rightly held to the highest standards and, whilst rare, where there are credible claims of criminal behaviour, we should investigate them.”

But the latest allegations come amid rising anger within military ranks over the way in which historic allegations are being handled.

The abuse claims include one major complaint from a Taliban bombmaker who says he was kept illegally behind bars after being arrested by troops who faced daily roadside blasts.

Earlier in the year, former Prime Minister David Cameron also voiced an intent to stamp out what he described as “spurious” legal claims against British troops.

The Prime Minister insisted that the Government would not entertain false allegations of criminal activity against British troops and that checks were in place to filter out abuses of the system.

Theresa May has insisted she will not allow an “industry of vexatious allegations” against British troops over claims of abuse in Iraq.

It raises concerns that British soldiers are being pursued by lawyers for simply doing their job out in the field of combat and there has been a push for such probes as this and the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) to end.

‘Regardless of the allegation everyone is innocent until proven guilty and the Army has failed in its most basic duty of care, ‘ he said.

But Nicholas Mercer [no relation], former legal adviser to the British Army during the Iraq War, speaking to BBC Radio 4, responded “I hear the words vexatious and spurious bandied about but, to date, there have been 326 settled cases and the Government has paid out £20m”. But she does have to go further and where I’m hoping she is going to go further is she is going to be extremely robust in making sure that legal action is taken against these sort of things. “If you look at the history, since Kosovo in fact, the Ministry of Defence has settled actions and created precedents when really it should have fought them and pushed back much, much harder”.