The head of the Army regiment at the centre of a war crimes investigation has today described his troops as among the best British units to serve in Iraq.

Three soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) have been accused of the inhuman treatment of detainees and are the first British troops to answer charges under the International Criminal Court Act 2001.

They are among 11 soldiers who were last night charged with offences ranging from neglect to manslaughter following the deaths in 2003 of two Iraqi civilians, one of whom died in a cell and another who drowned in a canal.

All 11 servicemen, including a highly-decorated regimental colonel who instigated one of the inquiries, are expected to be tried at courts martial in either the UK or Germany, early next year.

Brigadier Geoffrey Sheldon, Colonel of the QLR, said that the alleged actions of his officers in connection with the death of hotel receptionist Baha Mousa, if proved, could never be justified but went on to describe a city in chaos.

He said: "Basra in September 2003 was an intensely dangerous and violently difficult city suffering from rampant unrest, economic devastation and administrative chaos.

"By the time of Mr Mousa’s death, the 620 young men of this regiment had been facing, every day, a very high level of bombings, shootings, and terrorist and criminal activity for over two months.

"Despite suffering casualties of one dead and 36 men wounded sufficiently seriously to require evacuation to the United Kingdom, they nevertheless conducted themselves so well that their performance was, and is, widely recognised both within the Army and elsewhere, as amongst the best of any British unit yet to serve in Iraq.

"We demand a very great deal of our young men at times such as that, and I ask that it be borne in mind at this difficult time.

"Nevertheless, as we have also always emphasised, the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment fully supports the investigation and, if members of the Regiment are found not to have maintained the high standards which we demand of them, their appropriate punishment under the law."

Lawyers acting for Iraqi families, however, said that the soldiers should be prosecuted in civilian rather than military courts and claimed that many more servicemen were involved.

Phil Shiner, a solicitor from Public Interest Lawyers, said: "The family of Baha Mousa and the eight other men welcome the first steps towards justice. However, this is only a start.

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