Inquiries into Iraq war embarrass UK

The Iraq War will further shadow Britain's track record in violating human rights as several public inquiries into the invasion are due to reveal their findings in 2012. The findings of an inquiry chaired by retired senior civil servant Sir John Chilcot into Britain's role in invading Iraq in 2003 are to be revealed in the summer and two more inquiries will be investigating the illegal techniques employed by British occupying forces in torturing and abusing Iraqi civilians. The Al-Sweady Inquiry, conducted by a group of retired British investigators, will examine claims that British troops killed tens of Iraqi civilians in the wake of the Battle of Danny Boy, which took place on May 14, 2004 in Maysan province, southern Iraq, The Independent reported on Monday. Nevertheless, the inquiry is expected to be subjected to delays due to difficulties involved in obtaining evidence as Britain's Ministry of Defence continues to deny the allegations saying the Iraqis were killed on the battleground. “There is no sign of it opening because we have found hundreds of thousands of relevant documents, in particular all the emails from theatre (in Iraq) back to PJHQ (the military's Permanent Joint Headquarters) and they have got to go through all of that. I won't be surprised if the oral hearings in the Al-Sweady Inquiry don't start until the summer,” said Solicitor Phil Shiner representing the Iraqi victims. Furthermore, Shiner has called on the British government to open two more inquiries into the abuse of Iraqi civilians at the hands of British troops. The British government has argued that the establishment of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) rules out the need for any other inquiry. However, critics maintain that the IHAT lacks “the requisite independence.”