| Jail term cut for embassy worker A former British embassy employee who was jailed last year in Iran for espionage has had his sentence commuted. bbc.co.uk |
Red Cap murders marked turning point in Iraq war Mob ambush of Royal Military police in Majar Kabir became a symbol of Britain's misadventure in IraqThe mob killing of six Royal Military police soldiers in the eastern Iraqi town of Majar Kabir, of which two men were acquitted today, marked the moment when military confidence about the invasion gave way to anxiety.The detachment of Red Caps had been sent north of Basra on 24 June 2003, barely two months after George Bush had declared a formal end to hostilities, to liaise with Iraqi police officers. Equipped with only 50 rounds of ammunition each and carrying an antiquated radio transmitter, the RMP unit arrived in the dusty police compound on a ferociously hot summer's morning.They were not aware that British colleagues from the First Battalion the Parachute Regiment were operating at the other end of town. That patrol became involved in a protracted street battle and was forced to withdraw after shooting dead five Iraqi insurgents.An infuriated crowd surged through Majar Kabir craving retribution. The Red Caps, standing beside their army Land Rovers, were caught by surprise. Corporal Simon Miller, 21, was the first man to be hit, and they all retreated into the police station.Trapped, heavily outnumbered and with inadequate reserves of ammunition, the six men were unable to defend themselves for long. There was no mast for their radio equipment, so they could not summon help.One of those killed was 20-year-old Thomas Keys. When his body was recovered from a storeroom in the police compound, it had 12 gunshot wounds and the marks of repeated beatings. The massacre turned his father, Reg Keys, into a high-profile campaigner against the invasion and founder of the organisation Military Families Against the War.In a subsequent inquiry, Major-General Peter Wall revealed that the town had been "swimming with weapons" and was an "incredibly unhealthy and unsafe place". The deaths of the men have since become a symbol of Britain's misadventure in Iraq, a painful reminder of the poor intelligence and equipment shortages that undermined what was supposed to have been an era of peaceful reconstruction.IraqMilitaryOwen Bowcottguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Frogmen in underwater cycle challenge A firefighter and diving instructor complete a charity challenge to cycle 64 miles submerged in cold water. bbc.co.uk |
PCSOs facing cull under police cuts Every police community support officer in one constabulary has been put on notice ahead of an anticipated culling of the often derided "plastic policemen", due to budget cuts. telegraph.co.uk |
Business big shot: Steve Wiener It is a dilemma familiar to anyone still clinging to analogue radios or cathode-ray televisions: pay to go digital or wait until prices drop? timesonline.co.uk |