UK Iraq detainee to speak at inquiry

An Iraqi detainee who was allegedly mistreated by British troops is to give evidence at a public inquiry here Wednesday on the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, legal officials said. Madhi Kassim Abdullah was to give evidence at the long-awaited Al-Sweady Public Inquiry. He is one of 15 Iraqis travelling to the UK for the hearing, which is looking into claims UK soldiers mistreated and killed detainees after the so-called "Battle of Danny Boy" in May 2004. It is alleged that Iraqis were unlawfully killed at Camp Abu Naji (CAN) near Majar-al-Kabir on May 14 and 15 2004, and five detainees were tortured and ill-treated both there and at Shaibah Logistics Base, where they were held for the next four months. The claims are vigorously denied by the UK Ministry of Defence. Abdullah is one of the five detainees that it is claimed were mistreated by British soldiers. Last Monday, the father of Hamid Al-Sweady - who the inquiry is named after - said injuries on the body of his 19-year-old son included marks around his neck that appeared as if he had been electrocuted. Mizel Karim Al-Sweady also claimed seeing bodies returned with "eyes plucked out" and noses missing - but admitted he had only seen one body with eyes missing, and one with a broken nose. Medical assistant Assad Mozan, who was sent in an ambulance to the scene on the day of the battle, claimed he saw a number of Iraqis detained by British forces, some with their heads covered. Today's evidence coincides with the 10th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. The conflict, which started on March 20, 2003, lasted over six years, claimed the lives of 179 UK personnel and more than 100,000 Iraqis. Britain ended combat operations in 2009. The Iraq Body Count project (IBC) said it has documented 112,017 to 122,438 civilian deaths from violence from March 20 2003 to last Thursday, and more than 39,900 combatants of all nationalities. The overarching Chilcot Inquiry here into the war is still yet to deliver its report, and campaigners are fighting for another inquiry into alleged systemic abuse by British troops. The Al-Sweady Inquiry, which is sitting in central London, is hoped to have its report complete by the end of next year, the legal officials said.