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BRITISH SOLDIER WITNESSES BRUTAL KILLINGS BY BRITISH SOLDIERS OF IRAQI CIVILIANS
A British soldier from Earlsdon in Coventry, who served in Iraq has confessed to witnessing the murder and torture of several Iraqi soldiers and civilians.
The startling allegations were made live on air yesterday during Trish Adudu's new programme 'Gripe', on BEN TV (Sky 184).
Incidentally, Trish Adudu is also from Coventry.
The man alleged that he witnessed first hand a brutal slaying of innocent Iraq people during the Gulf war 13 years ago by the British Army - 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers . He claims that history is repeating itself in the attitude of the soldiers because nothing was done to stop this sort of behaviour before.
BELOW IS A TRANSCRIPTION OF WHAT WAS SAID
TRISH - Let’s talk about it, what’s your comment please (callers name)?
CALLER- You know, I think this has been going on for centuries you know (cough) rescuers and prisoners. I was in the army yeah and I fought in the gulf war 13 years ago….
TRISH- Right
CALLER And when I was over there you know I witnessed a bit of prisoner abuse and that and loads of mad things you know, you, you’d say that I…. It’ slike when I told my doctor and he’d sent me to a psychiatrist and then I told the psychiatrist said I was making allegations against the ministry of defence and I said I wasn’t making allegations
TRISH - So what (Callers name x2) What sort
CALLER- Delaying experiences to come to terms with my condition
TRISH- OK (CALLERS NAME) What sort of things do you allege to have seen, what did you see?
CALLER- Well one poor Iraqi guy, they got him in front of my tank yeah and they, they, they made out they were gonna drive the tank over him, yeah, he’d surrendered and this was… and then another time, they er, this sergeant guy yeah, he got this Iraqi guy yeah, banged his mouth on the side of the tank punched him in the face a load of times and where the hot air comes out of the top of the tank (pause) they held his face against it yeah with er his foot on top of his head.
TRISH- Well obviously, you know, yeah we can take word for it but there no nothing to you verify that. But it must have you quite mentally scared and to see the pictures today of all the Iraqi prisoners of war dead encased in ice, erm, you know it’s terrible, should these people be brought to justice (Callers name)?
CALLER- Well yeah, well they should be but I think that what actually should be done is that it’s the training, it’s the army training and it’s a barbaric training that they put these 17, 18, 19 year olds through and they turn them into animals basically, in their training and it’s the sergeants and training needs to be softened up, and erstuff like that you know.
TRISH- Can we bring Angie Lemar in Angie would like to say something, (CALLERS NAME)?
ANGIE- Hey (Callers name) when you left the army did you get any help or support in terms of counselling and if you did how long for?
CALLER- Erma well they gave me a pension and told me to shut but er, I didn’t get counselling at all, I left the army because I realised something, I realised that nothing is worth dying for and er, something’s maybe worth killing for nothings worth dying for. You can not go and say I’m gonna die for £50 a day or £60 a day and I haven’t got any respect for any of those people that are over in the gulf at the moment, ah you know.
TRISH & ANGIE- YEAH!
CALLER- If you can say that your gonna, your prepared to shoot somebody in the head for £50 or £60 a day, what kind of person are you, are you gonna go to heaven, you telling me that person is going to go to heaven.
TRISH- Although (Callers Name) it must be said that when you do join the army, you do give, you put your life on the line. but we can I say can quickly say, you’ve seen the pictures of, of I mean in the evening standard there’s a picture of an American soldier, (Don’t know if you can see that) a female soldier she has got a dog lead, attached to a man lying down, a prisoner of war lying down at that was taken as a fun shot what do you think?
CALLER- Well the same with any, any sort of person who would think it’s a discussed and it shouldn’t happen it’s demoralising it’s bad for the Iraqi people, but you know, it’s erm yeah I don’t wanna say this alright but sometimes I think I shouldn’t die with having this on my chest now to you people. When I was in desert we came across 100 people they had surrendered they had white flags, no arms no weapons at all yeah. Do you know what, the vehicles shot into them killing 20 -30 of them and then we just drove on and then we just left them. And that’s the British army you know and that was…….
I can only talk from my experience I see from my own eyes.
TRISH- (CALLERS NAME) x2
CALLER-I can’t talk about what was going on 100miles away
TRISH- Where was this? That this happened?
CALLER- This was Iraq, this was er at the third Britannia and the 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
TRISH- Right
Caller - That’s where it was
TRISH-Why don’t you go to someone with this information?
CALLER- Because why, why so the FBI sort of like can come around and kill me and then I’ll just end up as a torso in suitcase in the Thames and they fish me out and they say oh it must be a voodoo killing, because that’s the sort thing that happens to people like that, you know you don’t hear from them people again do you because they open their big mouth against the greater forces of you know….
TRISH (CALLERS NAME)- Thanks for coming on Gripe wee really appreciate you coming on Gripe, we’ll have to stop you there, I wanna stop you there..
'Gripe', as the name implies is no stranger to controversy. Only last week several viewers phoned in repeating the exact words used by Ron Atkinson, despite pleas from Trish for those phoning in to respect broadcasting laws. An apology was also issued.
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
The unnamed (for legal reasons)soldier alleges that his superiors were made aware of the problem, but decided to silence him by sending him off for psychiatric treatment, accusing him of making it up. He is now happy that the plight of the people has been brought to light as proof that he was not lying ang that such things have continued to occure.
The call was made to 'Gripe' on Thursday,6 May, 2004.
If you are using this piece please don't forget to mention the name of the TV programme, 'Gripe' and the channel it was aired on BEN TV (Sky Digital channel 184).
Trish Adudu was former sports anchor for channel 5 news.
'Gripe' is her new programme on BEN TV Sky 184 and it is aired every Thursday between 14:00-15:00.
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