Troops handed over terrorist suspects to US interrogation

Published on Thursday 26 February 2009 22:12

THERE were calls for an inquiry yesterday after the Defence Secretary admitted that British forces in Iraq handed over two terrorist suspects to the United States who were then flown to Afghanistan for interrogation.

In a statement to MPs that reignited the row over "extraordinary rendition", John Hutton said officials had been aware of the incident in 2004. The case was also featured in papers that went in front of two Cabinet ministers, who have denied all knowledge of it.

The disclosures contradict government claims that Britain has never been complicit with extraordinary rendition, whereby detainees are transferred to countries where torture is legal.

The US has now told Britain it is not "possible or desirable" to move the individuals – who are still in Afghanistan – either back to Iraq or their home countries.

The incident came to light after a lengthy review of detentions in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has thrown up a series of other errors in details previously released to parliament. "The individuals transferred to Afghanistan are members of Lashkar e Taiba, a proscribed organisation with links to al-Qaeda," Mr Hutton said.

"The US government has explained to us that they were moved to Afghanistan because of a lack of linguists necessary to interrogate them effectively in Iraq. We have been assured the detainees are held in a humane, safe and secure environment."

Mr Hutton said "inaccurate" information was given to the Commons about UK-held detainees, based on the information available to ministers at the time.

However, he added: "This review has established that officials were aware of this transfer in 2004. It has also shown that brief references to this case were included in lengthy papers that went to the then foreign secretary (Jack Straw] and home secretary (Charles Clarke] in April 2006.

"It is clear that the context did not highlight its significance at that point to the ministers concerned. In retrospect, it is clear to me that the transfer to Afghanistan of these two individuals should have been questioned."

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, said: "When secrets about British complicity in rendition and torture continue to seep out, it is as damaging to government as to our reputation in the world. A judicial public inquiry into this whole poisonous episode is the only hope for lancing the boil and moving on."

Yesterday's statement follows an admission last year by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, that two rendition flights landed on UK territory in 2002, when US planes refuelled on Diego Garcia.

Andrew Tyrie, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition, called for a full government inquiry into British involvement in the US rendition programme.

He said US assurances that it did not use torture were "unreliable", adding: "Given that all previous assurances have been baseless, we can have no confidence in the ones we are being given now."

Edward Davey, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said yesterday's disclosures strengthened the case for a public inquiry, and called for the papers presented to Mr Straw and Mr Clarke to be released.

"The Foreign Office, Home Office and MoD must make public all government policy, advice and guidelines on how British personnel should respond when faced with evidence or suspicion that our allies are engaged in rendition or torture," he said.