Ba'ath Party Teacher Accuses 'War Crimes' British Colonel Of Staging Mock Execution

Ba'ath Party teacher accuses 'war crimes' British colonel of staging mock execution

The Ba'ath Party representative in the first town occupied by the Royal Irish Regiment is thought to be the source for four of the five allegations of "war crimes" made against Col Tim Collins.

Ayoub Younis Nasser, the former headmaster of the al-Nukhaila school in Rumailah, 30 miles west of Basra, took his unsubstantiated claims further yesterday, claiming that Col Collins also subjected him and his son to a mock execution.

Mr Nasser, who is now an ordinary teacher, alleged that he had been pistol-whipped, punched, kicked and threatened by the officer who he also alleged fired towards the feet of his son to intimidate him.

They were then taken to the local police station where Col Collins allegedly made them lean facing against a wall and ordered a soldier to shoot them, he claimed.

"They put our faces towards the wall, me and my son," Mr Nasser alleged. "I heard Col Collins telling a soldier to 'kill them'. Then I heard the soldier cock his gun."

Col Collins strenuously denies the allegations and has been quoted as saying he is confident that he will emerge from inquiries into the claims with his reputation intact.

Other villagers in al-Nukhaila have also expressed scepticism about the allegations, pointing out that the only witnesses to the incidents under investigation were Mr Nasser and his family and a British Army interpreter. The interpreter's account of the events is likely to play an important role in establishing the truth of what happened.

Mr Nasser, 57, was the local Ba'ath Party representative and allegedly "a bad man" who was widely hated among the villagers for the reports he filed on them and for allegedly charging parents for their children's education.

Col Collins won international admiration, including praise from the Prince of Wales and President Bush, for a rousing speech to his men before the invasion of Iraq.

Standing on a Challenger 2 tank, he told them they must be ferocious in battle but they must respect international law and once they had won they should be magnanimous towards the Iraqi people.

The speech, and photographs of him wearing sunglasses and with a cigar clenched in his teeth, turned the 43-year-old British Army officer into a national hero.

But the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that he is being investigated by the Army's Special Investigations Branch over a series of allegations that he:

Punched, kicked and threatened captured Iraqis to get information out of them Pistol-whipped an Iraqi town leader, badly gashing his head Fired on the ground to intimidate two Iraqi civilians Issued threats to local civic leaders to get them to comply with his demands Shot the tyres out on a car when there was no threat to allied life All but the last of these fit allegations made by Mr Nasser to an SIB team that interviewed him and his family about two weeks ago.

He told the investigators that soldiers from 1 Bn, The Royal Irish Regiment surrounded his house at 10.30pm and that Col Collins knocked on the door.

He was asleep so his son Nawfel, 21, answered the door, invited Col Collins and his interpreter in and went to wake up his father.

"I had just woken up and was not concentrating when they asked me if I had a gun and if I was a member of the Ba'ath Party," Mr Nasser said. "Because I was tired and had just woken up I said no.

"Suddenly, he took his pistol and hit me on the head twice. I fell down. There was a lot of blood. Then after he hit me I told the officer that I did have guns."

Mr Nasser had two AK-47 assault rifles, one of which he said had been given to him by the education authorities to guard the school and one, which he had been given by the party. He had wrapped them up and buried them in the garden.

Nawfel was sent to dig up the guns but when he hesitated, Col Collins allegedly fired a single shot towards his feet.

"The officer was ready to shoot," Nawfel alleged. "When I tried to open the door, he fired to frighten me and make me hurry. My mother and sister were crying."

Meanwhile, Col Collins had allegedly put one of his boots on Mr Nasser's back and kicked and punched him.

The former headmaster also alleged that after the weapons were found, Col Collins dropped them on his back. "I still have back pains now," he said.

They allegedly dragged him out of the house to the police station and after the alleged mock execution, a medic tended to the teacher's wounds.

A small scar about three-eighths of an inch long and a small bump are still visible in the places where he alleges he was hit with the pistol.

"Afterwards the officer took me into another room and said he was sorry that he hit me.

"He did not know that I was so old and the headmaster. Maybe this officer had information from a villager about me."

If the allegations are proved, Col Collins faces a court martial and could even be cashiered but Mr Nasser is convinced he should be punished.

Other villagers are not so sure. One of the people Mr Nasser reported to the authorities for insulting the Ba'ath Party was taken to the Special Security Organisation building in Basra and imprisoned for months.

The new head of the village council, Abu Mohaned, said the alleged incident "happened in the house of the headmaster at night in front of his family. No one else in the village saw it. There were no other incidents with the British".

Mawood Jaber, 29, an oil worker, said Col Collins was scrupulously polite to everyone apart from the former headmaster and his family. "This is only what the former headmaster says. The officer went to many people and investigated them politely.

"This man was guilty. That is not just my opinion, it is the opinion of about 80 per cent of the people of Rumailah."

Compare this story to the post titled: "U.S. slob "frames" Col. Tim.

There are major discrepancies. This one seems far more credible.

OK, now I'm starting to understand this. I think what happened here is the guy just needs some R & R. First of all, I don't believe he hurt the Baathist, but he may well have roughed him up a bit. The guy probably deserved whatever he got. I think maybe we were asked to send someone in to see what was going on. This is what brought about the confrontation between a very good, very proper, overstressed British officer and whoever it was we were asked to send in to find out what was happening.

Send the guy home, let him get a little rest, and he'll be fine.

My guess is the whole story about the American major never happened, or was based on some minor incident that was blown all out of proportion by the barracks telegaph, you know, I heard from a guy who knows someone in Charlie company who saw the whole thing, kind of rumor.

Collins himself referred to an incident where he fired a shot through a baath party members kitchen floor during a night time raid.

Collins jokingly said that it was amazing to see how the shot seemed to suddenly aid the Baath party member's memory, so he could remember where his guns were hid.

This was discussed and generally received favourabbly at thread during the war.

Cheers.

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