MPs call for shutdown of inquiry targeting Iraq veterans

A scathing report by MPs has recommended that a £60m government probe into allegations against Iraq war veterans must shut down, calling it an “unmitigated failure”.

The inquiry led by a former army captain has found that war veterans have been subjected to “deeply disturbing” treatment, and the explosion of so-called lawfare has “directly harmed” UK defences.

The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat) has become a “seemingly unstoppable self-perpetuating machine” that has “proved to be blind to the needs [of the Armed Forces],” the Defence committee said.

Despite many cases having no credible evidence and not one secured prosecution, the number thereof has risen up to 3,500.

The committee called for the investigation team to be shut down within months.

MPs listed the failures in the way the Ministry of Defence that created Ihat has handled the probe, and blamed it for empowering law firms to start cases that lack credibility on an “industrial scale”.

They criticised it for particular “serious” failings after it handed over more than £110,829 to Anu Jamal, an Iraqi middleman, as he was an employee of Public Interest Lawyers, the firm behind many of the claims.

The committee said it was “deeply concerned” that public funds have been used to cover the costs of those who were bringing “spurious and unassessed” cases against the war veterans and that there has been a stark lack of support for those accused.

Iraq Historic Investigations Team (IHAT) investigators used “intimidatory tactics”, including “deeply disturbing” methods such as impersonating the police. Serving and retired soldiers have also been spied on, the report found.

“Both the MoD and IHAT have focused too much on satisfying the accusers and too little on defending those under investigation,” the report added.

IHAT was set up by Labour in 2010 to look at claims of abuse by Iraqi civilians against troops stationed there.

It started out with 165 cases but the allegations rocketed.