http://tinyurl.com/5lcaus UK army accused of letting Iraq killers go
By Alex Barker Thu Feb 14 15:50:15 EST 2008 Suspected killers of British soldiers in Iraq have been released and British prisons there emptied under a secret deal to stop members of an extremist group bombarding UK bases, according to a former detainee. A witness statement prepared for the High Court claims that British military officers agreed a schedule to release all detainees in return for a pledge by the militia group to cease attacks on British forces. The statement was made by Hilal al-Jedda , a former UK national who was detained without charge in Iraq as a suspected terrorist for more than three years. He alleges that charges were never brought against several detainees because the military made political negotiations a priority over the pursuit of justice. The statement was never submitted because Mr Jedda was released in December. According to Ministry of Defence figures, the number of internees in British detention has fallen from 86 to three since the striking of the alleged deal in July and August. Attacks on British forces have fallen more than 90 per cent. Releasing prisoners after negotiation is an established counterinsurgency tactic that has broad support in the British armed forces. The talks with the militants preceded a difficult hand-over of Basra province to Iraqi authorities, which passed without a serious outbreak of violence. Both US and British officials raised concerns over the release of certain internees because of the security threat they posed, according to UK officials. Such disagreements led to the delay of some scheduled releases in spite of fears that this would prompt fatal attacks. British forces were more selective in capturing insurgents than US forces and many of those in detention were prominent members of militant groups. Negotiations over the prisoner releases, which allegedly began in March, invol-ved Major General Jonathan Shaw , a British commander, and members of a militant Shia militia associated with the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. Via a defence advisory notice, the government has requested that the Financial Times not identify the Iraqi negotiators or disclose why Mr Jedda may have been privy to details of the talks, because to do so would put lives at risk. Mr Jedda said in a November witness statement: "The terms of the agreement are that the Mahdi Army will stop targeting British forces, and, in return, all detainees will be released." He correctly predicted that all internees who were not facing trial would be freed by mid-January. Mr Jedda describes evidence of crimes committed by internees that was gathered by British forces but never made available to the Iraqi justice system. He claims there were videos of internees attacking British forces and evidence of possession of bombs, mortar shells, anti-aircraft missiles, and British military helmets and equipment allegedly taken in battle. Five men were detained by British forces on suspicion of kidnapping after a gagged- and-bound man was found in the boot of their car, according to a document seen by Mr Jedda. He claims that one militant resumed attacks on British forces weeks after his release. He was later killed in combat. "I truly do not understand the basis on which the British are able to release such men and yet continue to hold me," Mr Jedda said in his witness statement four months ago. "One thing I am absolutely sure of is that all decisions to release now are political." An MoD spokesman said: "We do not release convicted terrorists, those likely to be convicted, or internees who pose an imperative threat to security. "When there is evidence for a prosecution we transfer internees to the Iraqi justice system. If there is insufficient evidence to do this and the internee no longer poses a security threat, we will release them under our regular review procedures." ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
