SAS hero claims Iraqi officers awarded £800k payout attacked elite team investigating brutal killings
Squad 'forced to fight his way out of 200 strong crowd'
NINE Iraqi police officers awarded £800,000 after accusing an SAS squad of assaulting them may have joined a mob attacking the elite team, a soldier has claimed.
The SAS squad reportedly had to fight its way out of a crowd of 200 after its cover was blown while it investigated the killings of six British military policemen.
At the time of the incident, in 2003, the squad was on a mission to find the killers of six British military policeman, known as red caps, has reported.
The red caps had been lynched in Majar al-Kabir, southern Iraq, and executed, weeks earlier.
Some of their bodies were riddled with bullets while others appeared to have been dragged, tied up or beaten with rifles.
The six men were Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell, 41; Cpl Russell Aston, 30; Cpl Paul Long, 24; Cpl Simon Miller, 21; L/Cpl Benjamin McGowan Hyde, 23; and L/Cpl Tom Keys, 20.
In an interview with Deborah Haynes of The Times an SAS soldier has revealed their account of the incident for the first time.
The SAS team member said the Iraqi policemen's claims that they were locked in a room and hit with rifle butts were incorrect.
Instead he claimed that the Iraqi officers may even have joined what became a riot as the SAS troops were forced to fight their way out of the building to avoid meeting the same fate as the Red Caps.
An Iraqi reconnaissance expert who was part of the SAS team was allegedly beaten up by the mob.
The soldier said it was disgusting that military personnel continued to be hounded over the abuse claim when they had been "fighting for their lives".
The Times has reported that the money was paid to the Iraqi police officers by the MoD without a full investigation .
Julian Brazier, a Tory MP and former member of 21 SAS, the reservist regiment, said: “I am deeply concerned to hear that this large payment was made without a full investigation at the time and without seeking to rebut these allegations made against people who were risking their lives in a very dangerous situation.”
The allegations are now subject to a criminal investigation by the Ministry of Defence.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “Our armed forces are rightly held to the highest standards and we investigate credible allegations of criminal behaviour.”
Stars from TV hit SAS: Who Dares Wins paid tribute to British fallen heroes in an emotional video campaign this week.
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