Ex-officer alleges Iraq cover-ups

British soldiers in Iraq were involved in hundreds of incidents in which civilians died or were seriously injured but which were covered up or inadequately investigated, a former military police officer claimed today. "If you were to look back at all the serious allegations arising out of operations in Iraq, there's a catalogue of blunders, mistakes, ineptitude and the course of investigations being bent to serve the real or perceived interests of the chain of command of the army," the ex-officer said. He said he had "absolutely no trust and confidence in anyone in the army who is saying that the number of incidents are low". He continued: "The documentary evidence that I have seen suggests that there were hundreds of incidents over the last six or seven years and that it's of great concern that among those hundreds there will have been undoubtedly some very suspicious deaths and serious injuries that were never properly investigated." It was more than a case of few rotten apples, he claimed. "There are still a few good apples in there but there's been a few bad ones and we've got a rotten barrel."