London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Iraq war: Abuse claims against soldiers close with no prosecutions

Iraq war: Abuse claims against soldiers close with no prosecutions

All remaining investigations into allegations of abuse by British soldiers in Iraq have now finished without any prosecutions being brought.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the Service Police Legacy Investigations - which was looking at the claims - had now "officially closed its doors".

The SPLI's job was to investigate Iraqi civilians' claims of serious criminal behaviour by UK armed forces.

Since it began, it has assessed 1,291 allegations, Mr Wallace said.

The SPLI was made up of Royal Navy Police and Royal Air Force Police.

It took charge of investigations in February 2017, after the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) - which had been looking at them - was shut down.

The investigations related to the alleged behaviour of UK armed forces in Iraq during the war from 2003 to 2009.

In a written statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Wallace said that although 178 allegations had been formally pursued through 55 separate investigations, no soldiers had been prosecuted as a result of the SPLI's work.

According to the SPLI, in 2019 five people were referred to the military prosecutor, the Service Prosecuting Authority, but no charges were brought.

"The vast majority of the more than 140,000 members of our armed forces who served in Iraq did so honourably," said Mr Wallace in his statement. "Many sadly suffered injuries or death, with devastating consequences for them and their families."

He said while some allegations against British troops were credible, others were not.

The credibility of allegations had been a "significant challenge throughout the investigations", he said.

"However not all allegations and claims were spurious, otherwise investigations would not have proceeded beyond initial examination and no claims for compensation would have been paid."


The Ministry of Defence's investigations into allegations of war crimes will have satisfied few.

The initial investigations, under IHAT, were criticised by MPs in 2017 who said it empowered law firms to bring cases on an "industrial scale". One of those lawyers, Phil Shiner, was later found guilty of misconduct.

Veterans and those still serving were swept up in long, costly and often clumsy investigations, even when some had already been cleared of wrongdoing.

Nor did IHAT satisfy those who believed that there were genuine cases to answer.

The MoD wanted to show it was properly investigating allegations of war crimes. But it did not want those investigations to be conducted by anyone else.

Most importantly, the MoD did not want this to end up in the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

In 2020 the ICC decided not to pursue a formal investigation into alleged war crimes by British troops in Iraq. But prosecutor Fatou Bensouda still said there was clear evidence that UK forces were responsible for numerous war crimes including illegal killings, torture and rape in Iraq.

Mr Wallace added: "It is sadly clear, from all the investigations the UK conducted, that some shocking and shameful incidents did happen in Iraq. We recognise that there were four convictions of UK military personnel for offences in Iraq including offences of assault and inhuman treatment.

"The government's position is clear - we deplore and condemn all such incidents."

In 2005, three British soldiers who abused Iraqi civilians were jailed and dismissed from the Army in disgrace.

Two years later, a soldier was jailed for a year in connection with the death of Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa in September 2003.

In total, the Ministry of Defence has paid out more than £20 million in compensation settlements for abuse claims from Iraqi nationals.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×