Arrest warrants for British soldiers

The incident in Basra in which two British troops were arrested, then the British forces raided the jail to free them is a strange story to say the least. One thing for sure is this will escalate the tension between the Iraqi civilians and the military. From the News telegraph UK Iraq judge issues warrant for British soldiers (Filed: 24/09/2005) An Iraqi judge has issued an arrest warrant for the two British soldiers freed by UK forces last Monday, it has been reported. But the Ministry of Defense has said that it has not been informed of the warrants. The judge told the BBC that the soldiers were wanted in connection with the deaths of several Iraqis during a confrontation with British forces. He said the two men could face life sentences if they were found guilty of deliberately killing an Iraqi civilian during a disturbance on Monday. The under-cover SAS soldiers are thought to have been on a surveillance mission outside a police station in Basra when they were challenged by an Iraqi police patrol. Iraqi officials have accused the soldiers of opening fire as they tried to escape. The soldiers were held for hours while British military authorities demanded their release. The BBC said the judge was not convinced the two men were British, and therefore would not be immune from arrest and possible prosecution in Iraq. Major Steve Melbourne, a spokesman for the military, told the’s Today programme: "We are not fully aware of the issue of these warrants. But what I must say is they have no legal basis for the issue of these. "But what we will do is continue to work closely with Iraqis who actually have their investigation team down here now and also with the Iraqi government." Read more at: News Telegraph and The BBC