I realise that I seem to be a lone voice on this issue, but I am disconcerted by the general tenor of the response to this incident.

As an Englishman, I am not trying to conduct a hate campaign against Britain. Completely the reverse in fact.

These soldiers reflect few, if any, of the British values that I was taught. IMHO, their actions were at best reprehensible, and at worst damaging to the stated intention to establish rule of law in a new democratic Iraq.

Richard has referred to a number of PMs which passed between us after the original thread was closed, and the following is part of my last message to him.

----"Now you are really stretching. So far in fact that I begin to wonder if you are pulling my chain by playing devil's advocate?

That comment seems completely illogical, in that we are talking (are we not?) about rule of law.

Now I'm not conversant with the law in the way you are (obviously), but I cannot believe that you are serious. Since when has "He did it to me first been accepted as a defence, except in a situation where the response has been a)instantaneous, and b)Instinctive. No considered response after elapsed time can be either.

In the British Army, as in most modern fighting forces, soldiers are trained to handle a multitude of different situations, and their training is designed to ingrain the correct response to an extent where it becomes automatic. The reaction we saw in that video was contrary to the training, and owed more to revenge and punishment than to the containment of the situation. Punishment is the prerogative of the Judiciary, whether British or Iraqi, not the military".----


It is not so long ago that British and Americans catters were making pretty strong comments on the "heavy handed" actions of US troops who were in a war situation fighting to pacify towns where they were battling house to house with enemy forces.

Yet we have some of those same people trying to justify over the top action by British troops in an essentially peacekeeping situation.

Let me say it one last time, then I'm out of here.

These actions CANNOT be justified on any legal basis, and reflect no credit on my country, which these men are supposed to be serving. In addition they have given an almighty boost to the recruiting of more fighters by the insurgency they are there to contain.

That's all folks.

Bye
Don T.