The father of an Iraqi allegedly murdered by British soldiers has told a public inquiry that when a doctor opened an army body bag containing his 19-year-old son he saw "blood pouring out of his chest".
His son Ahmed had "gunshots on the side of his stomach … his hand was broken [and] the bag was full of blood", Khazaal al-Helfi told the inquiry on Monday into allegations that British troops murdered up to 20 unarmed prisoners and abused others following a fierce battle with Iraqi insurgents in May 2004.
Helfi was giving evidence to the al-Sweady inquiry, named after the family of another 19-year-old Iraqi allegedly killed by British troops following a fierce gunfight with Iraqi insurgents.
It is known as the battle of Danny Boy, the name British soldiers gave to a checkpoint three miles (5km) north-east of Majar al-Kabir in south-east Iraq on 14 May 2004.
The inquiry was forced on the Ministry of Defence after high court judges accused it of "lamentable" behaviour and serious breaches of its duty of candour. The judges said the MoD had failed to disclose crucial information relating to the allegations and to set up a proper investigation as required by the Human Rights Act.
Helfi told the inquiry that the last time he saw his son was when he left home on 14 May 2004 to get petrol for his motorbike. When Ahmed failed to return home that night he assumed his son was staying with his uncle who lived nearby.
The next day, after his uncle and other relations said they had not seen Ahmed, he said he frantically searched for his son, visiting hospitals and police stations before seeing his name on a British army body bag.
Helfi was questioned by lawyers representing British soldiers and the MoD about apparent inconsistencies in his written statements to the inquiry, his oral testimony and his earlier statements to the British military police.
At times visibly upset, Helfi was asked whether it was possible his son had taken part in the battle with British troops. He replied: "He had no weapon. He had nothing to do with such battles. I know him perfectly well … Ahmed had no interest in guns."
Asked what motivated him to demand compensation, Helfi said he had been told to ask for it. "I had to file a complaint because of the incident," he told the inquiry.
The Iraqi families and their lawyers accuse the troops of meting out "truly shocking" treatment to civilians. The soldiers and MoD strongly reject the allegations.
UK officials have suggested that the soldiers wanted to bring the bodies of dead Iraqis and others wounded and detained after the battle to their base, Camp Abu Naji, to identify them and see if there was any evidence that they were involved in the earlier brutal murder nearby of six British military police personnel.
Jonathan Acton Davis QC, counsel to the inquiry, is expected to question 44 other Iraqi witnesses.
The inquiry, which has cost nearly £17m so far, is due to continue until the end of 2014.
[This article has been amended at the request of the inquiry.]
