Battle of Danny Boy

The insurgents ambushed a patrol of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders close to a checkpoint known as Danny Boy near Majar al-Kabir.[1] The Argylls called in reinforcements from the 1st Battalion of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment; the latter were also ambushed and due to an electronic communications failure it was some time before further British relief arrived. While waiting for reinforcements the British were involved in one of the fiercest engagements they fought in Iraq. The fighting involved close-quarter rifle fire and bayonets.[3][2] The battle lasted for about three hours during which 28 Mahdi Army insurgents were killed; the British suffered some wounded, but none were killed in the action.[1]

Sergeant Brian Wood, of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment was awarded the Military Cross for his part in the battle.[2]

On 25 November 2009, Bob Ainsworth, then the British Minister of State for the Armed Forces, announced that retired High Court judge Sir Thayne Forbes would chair the Al-Sweady Inquiry. It was alleged that 20 Iraqis, taken prisoner during the battle, were murdered and that others were tortured. The British Ministry of Defence denied that the 20 were captured, stating that 20 bodies were removed from the battlefield for identification and then returned to their families; a further nine were taken prisoner and held for questioning but were not mistreated.[4][5] In March 2013, Christopher Stanley of the UK-based Rights Watch group said that MoD was trying to get away with grave human rights violations – including killing – without punishment or due process of law.[6]

On 4 March 2013 the hearings of the Al-Sweady Public Inquiry opened in London.[7] On 20 March 2014 Public Interest Lawyers, a British law firm acting for the families of the dead Iraqis, announced that they were withdrawing the allegations against British soldiers.[8] They accepted that there was no evidence that the Iraqis had been alive when taken into the British compound.[8]

On 17 December 2014 the inquiry, which cost £31 million, returned its findings. It found that no prisoners had been murdered, nor that their bodies had been mutilated and that the evidence to that effect from the detainees was deliberately untruthful. However, the inquiry did find that British soldiers mistreated nine Iraqi prisoners, but not deliberately. It stated that the ill-treatment was much milder than the initial accusations of torture, mutilation and murder. Sir Thayne said that the "most serious allegations" which "have been hanging over [the British] soldiers for the past 10 years" have been found to be "without foundation".[9] The inquiry found that the allegations made by the Iraqis and their lawyers were based on “deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility”. As a result of the inquiry's findings Public Interest Lawyers and Leigh Day, another firm involved in cases against British troops, were referred to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. In August 2016 Public Interest Lawyers went out of business, while the British government announced it would take steps to prevent further spurious claims against troops.[10] In December 2016 Professor Phil Shiner, head of Public Interest Lawyers, admitted guilt in relation to claims of wrongdoing by British troops in the context of professional misconduct proceedings. He was struck off the roll of solicitors by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in February 2017.

• BBC staff (17 December 2014). "Al-Sweady Inquiry: UK army murder claims 'deliberate lies'". BBC.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Brown, David (21 November 2010). "Army faces inquiry over 'Battle of Danny Boy' torture claims". The Times.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• French, Cecilia; The Inquiry Secretariat (2013). "Al-Sweady Public Enquiry: FAQ". Al-Sweady Public Inquiry secretariat and hosted by the Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
• Sweeny, John (25 February 2008). "On whose orders?". Panorama, BBC.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) (transcript).
• Telegraph staff (28 November 2009). "Iraq report: 'Pathetic' radio failings put troops at risk". Daily Telegraph.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Times staff (25 November 2009). "Inquiry announced into 'Battle of Danny Boy' Iraq abuse claims". Time Online.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Wyatt, Caroline (28 April 2009). "UK combat operations end in Iraq". BBC.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Russia Today staff (5 March 2013). "UK inquiry into Iraqi prisoner deaths reveals evidence of 'torture'". Russia Today. Archived from the original on 17 April 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Whitehead, Tom (20 March 2014). "British soldiers did not murder Iraqis in Battle of Danny Boy, families now accept". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 August 2017.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

• Norton-Taylor, Richard; Cobain, Ian (12 November 2010). "British colonel keeps rank despite being branded 'unreliable witness'". guardian.co.uk.