MOSCOW (Sputnik) —Investigators from the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) are aware of over a thousand cases of alleged ill-treatment of Iraqi civilians by UK soldiers, but only 45 are under investigation, according to The Independent. The team is also probing 25 cases of illegal killings.
"There are serious allegations that we are investigating across the whole range of IHAT investigations, which incorporates homicide, where I feel there is significant evidence to be obtained to put a strong case before the Service Prosecuting Authority to prosecute and charge," Mark Warwick, the head of IHAT, told the UK outlet in an interview.
Warwick, a retired senior civilian police detective, said British war veterans could be notified by 2019 if there will be any charges brought against them.
These include the case of Baha Mousa’s killing, an Iraqi hotel receptionist who was allegedly tortured to death while in British custody.
A separate investigation into alleged British war crimes is underway at the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is looking at 1,200 cases, including 50 cases of unlawful killings of Iraqis in British custody.
