The Guardian

London, February 21

The British Ministry of Defence is facing the prospect of a string of lawsuits over the deaths of at least 18 Iraqi civilians allegedly killed by British soldiers, the London-based Guardian has revealed.

The incidents, hitherto unreported, are separate from the suspicious deaths of seven Iraqis who were being held by British troops in the notorious Camp Bucca detention centre near the port of Umm Qasr, south of Basra.

The threat of legal action comes as the conduct of British troops serving in southern Iraq is under intense scrutiny, with members of the British parliament (MPs) and human rights lawyers demanding independent inquiries into the deaths at the prison camp as well as civilian fatalities in and around Basra.

The new disclosures relate to incidents in which Iraqis have died when they were fired on by mistake or were innocent bystanders to operations allegedly being conducted by British troops.

While the British Ministry of Defence has refused to accept liability for any of the deaths, it has offered and paid compensation to some of the families.

One family was offered about $1,000 for the death of Waleed Fayayi Muzban, who was killed when his vehicle was hit by a barrage of bullets allegedly fired by British troops.

Lawyers said the sum was derisory, and are preparing to sue the British Ministry of Defence in civil courts in the United Kingdom to provide better compensation.