UK Soldiers Who Fought In Iraq May Face War Crimes Prosecutions

British soldiers may face trial for war crimes committed during the Iraq War, the head of a government unit investigating the alleged abuses said Saturday.

Mark Warwick, head of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT), told The Independent that “there are lots of significant cases.”

"There are serious allegations that we are investigating across the whole range of Ihat investigations, which incorporates homicide, where I feel there is significant evidence to be obtained to put a strong case before the Service Prosecuting Authority to prosecute and charge," said Warwick.

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IHAT, which was set up by Ministry of Defense in 2010, has received at least 1,515 cases to investigate, of which 280 are alleged murders.

Five years into the group’s work, there have been zero prosecutions, a fact that has disturbed human rights groups.

“The incredibly slow pace at which Ihat is investigating allegations of criminality committed by UK soldiers against Iraqi civilians is wholly unacceptable,” said Carla Ferstman, the director of the human rights charity Redress. “Things seem to still be moving at a snail’s pace. We call upon the Government to ensure Ihat can, and does, do what it was set up to do, and to do it now. This cannot be a whitewash.”