LONDON, 22 May 2003 — A top British army officer, praised for his inspirational speech on the eve of the war in Iraq, is facing allegations that his treatment of prisoners of war and an Iraqi civic leader may have broken the Geneva Convention, The Sun tabloid said yesterday.
Lt. Col. Tim Collins, whose stirring speech to his troops was praised by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and US President George W. Bush, is being investigated by the army’s Special Investigations Branch, defense sources told the tabloid.
The Ministry of Defense refused to confirm that Collins was being investigated or what charges were involved.
“We can confirm that an investigation is being conducted into allegations that have been made against a British officer who was serving in Iraq,” a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
According to The Sun, military investigators are probing claims that Collins punched, kicked and threatened captured Iraqi soldiers; pistol-whipped an Iraqi civic leader; fired at the ground near Iraqi civilians; and unnecessarily shot the tires of vehicles. Collins, 43, who was often seen with a cigar clenched between his teeth and wearing a pair of sunglasses, was commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment during the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
He galvanized his infantry troops on the eve of battle with a speech in Kuwait in which he urged them to do their duty while treating the enemy with respect. “Wipe them out if that is what they choose. But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory,” he said.
