British soldiers may be put on trial for alleged crimes committed in Iraq including murder, the head of a government unit investigating claims of torture and unlawful killing said in an interview published on Saturday.
Mark Warwick, a former police detective who is in charge of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team, Ihat, was quoted as saying by The Independent newspaper that he believed there would be sufficient evidence to justify criminal charges, Reuters reported.
"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," he said. Ihat, which was set up by Ministry of Defense in 2010 and is independent of the military for its investigations, has received cases relating to more than 1,500 alleged victims of mistreatment and unlawful killings, according to the British government's website.
