Hoon ‘diverting attention from abuse’

THE Daily Mirror newspaper said yesterday that Britain’s Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon’s comments about the photographs they published were obviously designed to divert attention from the bigger and more important issue of the abuse of Iraqi detainees by British troops.

The newspaper released a statement saying: “The Ministry of Defence has had eight days to try and discredit the pictures, and the very serious incident of abuse they illustrate, and the best they can do is now suggest there are “indications” that this type of van may not have been in Iraq at the time.

“On that specific point, we have testimony from soldiers A and B that this type of van WAS in Iraq at the time. We have also had independent confirmation from both Soldiers C and D to the same effect.