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Al Jazeera (English)
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Iraqi Civilian Deaths ... caused by Bush's unprovoked war

 

SAS soldier quits Army in disgust at 'illegal' American tactics in Iraq
(Sean Rayment, Telegraph, March 12, 2006)
An SAS soldier has refused to fight in Iraq and has left the Army over the "illegal" tactics of United States troops and the policies of coalition forces. . . . After three months in Baghdad, Ben Griffin told his commander that he was no longer prepared to fight alongside American forces. . . . He said he had witnessed "dozens of illegal acts" by US troops, claiming they viewed all Iraqis as "untermenschen" - the Nazi term for races regarded as sub-human. . . . It immediately brought to an end Mr Griffin's exemplary, eight-year career in which he also served with the Parachute Regiment, taking part in operations in Northern Ireland, Macedonia and Afghanistan. . . . But it will also embarrass the Government and have a potentially profound impact on cases of other soldiers who have refused to fight. . . . Foreign Office minister Kim Howells, visiting Basra yesterday, admitted that Iraq was now "a mess". . . . Mr Griffin, 28, who spent two years with the SAS, said the American military's "gung-ho and trigger happy mentality" and tactics had completely undermined any chance of winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi population. He added that many innocent civilians were arrested in night-time raids and interrogated by American soldiers, imprisoned in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison, or handed over to the Iraqi authorities and "most probably" tortured. . . . He added that he now believed that the Prime Minister and the Government had repeatedly "lied" over the war's conduct. . . . "I did not join the British Army to conduct American foreign policy," he said. He expected to be labelled a coward and to face a court martial and imprisonment after making what "the most difficult decision of my life" last March. . . . Last night Patrick Mercer, the shadow minister for homeland security, said: "Trooper Griffin is a highly experienced soldier. This makes his decision particularly disturbing and his views and opinions must be listened to by the Government."

posted by LoZo 4:27 PM