seruriermarshal
05-14-2004, 10:36 AM
'Fake' Abuse Photos Help Al Qaeda - UK Soldiers
By Laith Abou-Ragheb
PRESTON, England (*******) - British soldiers at the center of a scandal over alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners said photos purporting to show mistreatment were "complete nonsense" and put UK troops at risk by aiding recruitment for al Qaeda.
Senior officers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, in northern England, attacked the Daily Mirror for its sensational series of photos -- declared fake by the government -- including one said to show British soldiers urinating on a hooded captive.
"That photograph was a mocked-up fake and it wasn't taken in Iraq (news - web sites). This is a deadly serious business because people's lives have been placed in jeopardy by what has turned out to be utter and complete nonsense," Brigadier Geoff Sheldon told reporters.
He said the time had come for the Daily Mirror and its high-profile editor Piers Morgan to accept that the pictures were fake and to apologize.
"It's time that the ego of one editor is measured against the life of the soldier," he said.
Colonel David Black, the regiment's most senior officer, could barely contain his disgust.
"These photos have been a recruiting poster for al Qaeda and every other terrorist organization," he said. "It has made the lives of our armed forces in Iraq that much more difficult and that much more dangerous."
Thursday, the British government branded the photographs fakes, saying careful analysis had proved they were "categorically not taken in Iraq."
In response, Mirror editor Morgan said the government had not produced incontrovertible evidence the pictures were faked and that there was a bigger issue that needed to be highlighted.
"The pictures accurately illustrated the reality about the appalling conduct of some British troops," he said.
Following publication of the photos, both human rights group Amnesty International and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they had expressed concerns to British authorities months ago about their treatment of detainees.
The Mirror photos were published shortly after the appearance of damning photos and revelations of abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. troops at the Abu Ghraib jail near Baghdad.
By Laith Abou-Ragheb
PRESTON, England (*******) - British soldiers at the center of a scandal over alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners said photos purporting to show mistreatment were "complete nonsense" and put UK troops at risk by aiding recruitment for al Qaeda.
Senior officers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, in northern England, attacked the Daily Mirror for its sensational series of photos -- declared fake by the government -- including one said to show British soldiers urinating on a hooded captive.
"That photograph was a mocked-up fake and it wasn't taken in Iraq (news - web sites). This is a deadly serious business because people's lives have been placed in jeopardy by what has turned out to be utter and complete nonsense," Brigadier Geoff Sheldon told reporters.
He said the time had come for the Daily Mirror and its high-profile editor Piers Morgan to accept that the pictures were fake and to apologize.
"It's time that the ego of one editor is measured against the life of the soldier," he said.
Colonel David Black, the regiment's most senior officer, could barely contain his disgust.
"These photos have been a recruiting poster for al Qaeda and every other terrorist organization," he said. "It has made the lives of our armed forces in Iraq that much more difficult and that much more dangerous."
Thursday, the British government branded the photographs fakes, saying careful analysis had proved they were "categorically not taken in Iraq."
In response, Mirror editor Morgan said the government had not produced incontrovertible evidence the pictures were faked and that there was a bigger issue that needed to be highlighted.
"The pictures accurately illustrated the reality about the appalling conduct of some British troops," he said.
Following publication of the photos, both human rights group Amnesty International and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they had expressed concerns to British authorities months ago about their treatment of detainees.
The Mirror photos were published shortly after the appearance of damning photos and revelations of abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. troops at the Abu Ghraib jail near Baghdad.