British Vets May Face War Crime Charges Over Iraq Conflict

British soldiers who fought in the 2003 Iraq conflict may face criminal charges for unlawful killings, torture and other war crimes committed through 2009, the head of a team investigating allegations by Iraqis told UK media on Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) —Investigators from the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) are aware of over a thousand cases of alleged ill-treatment of Iraqi civilians by UK soldiers, but only 45 are under investigation, according to The Independent. The team is also probing 25 cases of illegal killings.

"There are serious allegations that we are investigating across the whole range of IHAT investigations, which incorporates homicide, where I feel there is significant evidence to be obtained to put a strong case before the Service Prosecuting Authority to prosecute and charge," Mark Warwick, the head of IHAT, told the UK outlet in an interview.

IHAT was established by the UK Defense Ministry to probe allegations of abuse against Iraqis over the period from the start of the invasion until the end of the Multi-National Force deployment to Iraq to maintain security and train local military.

Warwick, a retired senior civilian police detective, said British war veterans could be notified by 2019 if there will be any charges brought against them.

These include the case of Baha Mousa’s killing, an Iraqi hotel receptionist who was allegedly tortured to death while in British custody.

A separate investigation into alleged British war crimes is underway at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is looking at 1,200 cases, including 50 cases of unlawful killings of Iraqis in British custody.