British prisoner ‘fought for Saddam’

THE British Army is investigating claims that a man from Manchester who was fighting for Saddam Hussein near Basra has been detained by British forces and is being held in a prisoner of war camp in Southern Iraq.

The man, who has not been named but is believed to be in his mid 20s, was captured on Sunday as he joined Iraqi militia men in civilian clothing in an attack on British forces.

He is now being held at a prisoner of war camp to the south-west of al Zubayr, an Iraqi town which lies a short distance from Basra.

A spokesman for the British Army said it was unaware of the detention of the alleged British citizen, but investigations would be undertaken.

The spokesman added that even if the man was British, no information would be provided because he would be a prisoner of war.

He has told his captors he travelled to Iraq to fight against the coalition forces, but now wants to return home to England to be reunited with his family in Manchester.

Army officers reported the man had been taunting soldiers, saying he intends to live on benefits when he returns to Britain and revelling in the fact that the Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of prisoners of war, means his captors will be unable to punish him or prevent his return home.

Corporal Jonathan Duffy, 21, an infantry man with the First Battalion Irish Guards questioned the man, who is believed to be Iraqi-born but claims to have British citizenship, at the prisoner of war camp and said he received a gloating, abusive, response.

“He was being very arrogant and offensive, swearing at everyone,” Cpl Duffy said.

“He said that he had come out here to fight against coalition forces because he didn’t believe in what we were doing. But when it came to it he didn’t fight properly at all, he just surrendered. He was a coward.”