British soldiers ‘forced’ Iraqi boy into canal and let him drown

Four British soldiers ‘forced’ an Iraqi boy into the canal where he died, an investigation has concluded.
The Ministry of Defence has apologised for the death of Ahmed Jabbar Kareem Ali, who was 15 when he drowned in Basra.
Troops had detained him and three others on suspicion of looting in May 2003 after the UK and USA invaded Iraq.

They were all forced into the water, but the others managed to swim to safety.
In a report by the Iraq Fatality Investigations, Former High Court judge Sir George Newman said the way the soldiers acted was a ‘clumsy, ill-directed and bullying piece of conduct, engaged in without consideration of the risk of harm to which it could give rise’.

The boy and three others had been taken to the Shatt-Al Basra canal in an armoured vehicle and forced to go in as punishment for the alleged looting.

Soldiers condemned after they 'forced' boy into canal and let him drown pic: Ahmed 
Ahmed Jabbar Kareem Ali was 15 (Picture: Crown Copyright)

British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with troops in Basra, Iraq, 29 May 2003. Blair, who touched down in an RAF Hercules C130 plane after flying to the southern Iraqi city from Kuwait, became the first western leader to visit the country since hostilities ceased six weeks ago, saying he wanted to give his and the nation's thanks to the British forces — about 20,000 of which are still based in Iraq. AFP PHOTO POOL Stefan ROUSSEAU (Photo credit should read STEFAN ROUSSEAU/AFP/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with troops in Basra, May 2003 (Archive picture: Getty)

After they realised the boy was struggling to keep afloat, the soldiers should have rescued him, the judge said, criticising their ‘manifest failure’ save his life.
‘His death ensued because he was forced by the soldiers to enter the canal, where, in the presence of the soldiers, he was seen to be in difficulty, and to go under the water,’ the report said.

‘Notwithstanding the unlawful treatment involved in getting him into the water, his death could have been avoided because he could and should have been rescued after it became clear that he was floundering.’
iraq

None of the four soldiers involved were named in the report.
They were found not guilty of manslaughter after a court martial in 2006.
In his report, Sir George Newman raised ‘grave concerns’ about the soldiers’ ability to deal with the responsibilities they were given, and about the resources British forces had available.

He said Basra at that time had ‘descended into a state of chaos’ and there was no help from local police or courts to deal with widespread looting which was ‘beyond the capabilities of the British Forces to reduce’.
 

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