Leading the news bulletins this morning is the news that security services are closely studying a video released by Daesh yesterday, in a bid to identify the masked man with a British accent who is filmed executing a number of Syrian men with purported links to British intelligence agencies. The Daily Mail also reports on its front page that British soldiers are facing investigations until well into the next decade over allegations of abuse dating back to the Iraq war.
Daesh
Receiving widespread coverage, and featuring on the front pages of the Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph, Guardian and The Times, is the video yesterday released by Daesh, which allegedly shows the execution of a number of Syrian men with purported links to British intelligence agencies. Reporting focuses on the masked man who appears in the video, who many outlets, including the Sun and the Daily Star, dub the ‘new Jihadi John’. Reporting also focuses on the child who appears in the video, who speaks in English, with the Daily Mail suggesting the little boy could be a son from one of dozens of families who have travelled to Syria. Stories say that security and intelligence services are now working to identify those in the video, with the investigation likely to be a “protracted one” according to the Guardian. Comments from former Colonel Richard Kemp in the Daily Mirror say that the video, with a masked man and a child, is “exactly the kind of cowardice” we can expect from Daesh.
Some reporting links the release of the video to the situation in Ramadi, saying the film is a propaganda exercise to distract from Daesh’s recent failures, including the loss of control of the city to the Iraqi security forces. BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, echoing the packages running the on the BBC News channel, included a report from the first Western correspondent to get into the city of Ramadi, who said that although Iraqi forces are controlling much, if not most of the city, they are still entrenched in hard fighting against Daesh fighters in small areas of the centre and western parts of Ramadi – so liberation of the entire city by Iraqi forces remains a few days away. He also noted that the real challenge will be whether Iraqi forces can maintain control of Ramadi, and whether they can flush out ISIL from the rest of the Anbar province.
Of note, opinion pieces in both the Guardian and the Daily Mail say that airstrikes over Syria have been a ‘damp squib’ so far, with the Guardian piece adding that the US and UK involvement in Iraq and Syria – with the possibility of hundreds of British troops being sent to Libya also – amount to little more than pinpricks. He says that at best, all they are doing is containment.
This is not the case and as we laid out in yesterday’s blog – in Syria, RAF Tornado and Typhoon have conducted at least 10 successful strikes - dropping 21 Paveway IV guided bombs over the Omar oilfield – one of the most important to Daesh’s financial operations. We have also provided over 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns, nearly half a million rounds of ammunition and £600,000 worth of military equipment to the Kurdish Peshmerga.
The MOD’s statement is as follows:
To help keep the streets of Britain safe we must continue to attack Daesh in Syria as well as in Iraq but we have always been clear that this is a fight that will take time and patience. This is one battlefield, over a border that Daesh does not recognise and we continue to play a leading role in the counter-Daesh coalition in both countries – flying over 1700 missions, conducting over 430 strikes and providing over 60% of the coalition’s vital tactical intelligence which will be one of the key factors that ultimately destroys the terrorist organisation.
Iraq historical allegations
There is continued coverage of the issue of British soldiers facing investigations until well into the next decade over allegations of abuse dating back to the Iraq war, including on the Daily Mail front page. The Daily Mail’s article calls for an end to the ‘witch-hunt’ of our soldiers, adding that war heroes, military families and politicians last night called for ‘ambulance-chasing’ lawyers to stop harassing soldiers who had simply been doing their duty. The story is also covered by The Times, which says that, according to military figures, the reputation of British soldiers is being tarnished by greedy lawyers. An opinion piece by former Colonel Richard Kemp in The Times adds that our troops need protecting from predatory lawyers. The Daily Mail incorrectly states that the Government set aside £57m “years ago for investigation of 152 allegations”. Ihat was set up in 2010 and it was only in July 2014 that the Defence Secretary increased the budget to £57m, to reflect the increased number of cases.
Our full statement on the issue can be seen below:
A Ministry of Defence said:
The vast majority of UK Service personnel deployed on military operations conduct themselves professionally and in accordance with the law. The MOD takes all allegations of abuse or unlawful killing extremely seriously. Where there is sufficient evidence, members of HM Forces can be prosecuted. It is estimated that the IHAT’s work will take until the end of 2019.
The Al-Sweady Inquiry shows that allegations of wrongdoing are not always true. However, it is right that all allegations are investigated and that those against whom there is evidence of criminal conduct are prosecuted. The MOD established the Iraqi Historical Allegations Team (IHAT) in 2010 to undertake independent investigations into allegations of criminality; it is appropriate that any enquiries should go to them for analysis.
Image of the day
As we enter into 2016 and people start their fitness New Years resolutions, take inspiration from Staff Sergeant Anthony Burrell who completed all of the Army's fitness tests in 24 hours whilst trialling the Army's latest VIRTUS personal protection equipment.
Follow us on Twitter and don’t forget to sign up for email alerts.