Police expose flaws in army's torture inquiry

The day after a firefight in May 2004 between British soldiers and insurgents, the bodies of 20 Iraqis were returned to their families.

At the time, many relatives claimed the corpses showed signs of torture. Now an investigation by Greater Manchester police has raised the disturbing possibility of an army cover-up.

A military investigation into one of the most notorious incidents of the Iraq conflict, in which British soldiers allegedly murdered and mutilated unarmed Iraqis, has been severely criticised by police called in to assess its credibility.

A new inquiry has found that the Royal Military Police - who are responsible for investigating claims of wrongdoing by soldiers - failed to collect forensic evidence, ignored key witnesses and did not ask Iraqi witnesses relevant questions as they investigated the "Battle of Danny Boy" and its aftermath. More