UK War Criminal: Troops Kicked and Punched Iraqis

UK war criminal: Troops kicked and punched Iraqis
By Meera Selva, Associated Press Writer | Miami Herald

Britain's first convicted war criminal said Monday that some of his fellow soldiers frequently beat Iraqi detainees.

Former Cpl. Donald Payne, who was jailed for a year in the death of hotel receptionist Baha Mousa and is now free, said that he had downplayed some of the abuses allegedly committed by his unit out of a sense of "misguided loyalty."

Mousa was held by British forces in the southern Iraq city of Basra and died of more than 96 separate injuries in 2003.

Payne's testimony at a public inquiry into Mousa's death comes in the wake of Britain's Ministry of Defense saying Saturday it was investigating 33 allegations of rape and abuse against British soldiers - male and female - who were stationed in Iraq. Read more.