UK troops to face inquests into death of Iraqi civilians

British troops are facing 11 separate inquiries into the death of 11 Iraqi civilians in 2003.

The UK Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the inquests will be held into cases of Iraqi civilians who died under UK custody after the 2003 ousting of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The announcement follows an increased amount of calls for the Armed Forces to shoulder responsibility and in the wake of the case of Sergeant Alexander Blackman, a Royal Marine who was sentenced to a minimum of ten years in prison after being convicted of murdering a wounded a Taliban insurgent in Afghanistan.

The sentence prompted outcry in the UK with thousands calling for his sentence to be reduced with others saying he should serve no jail time. On the other hand, a recent survey uncovered that 35% believing he should not have been imprisoned while conversely, 22% have called for a greater imprisonment term.

Following the survey, former UK defense minister Gerald Howarth said the sentence was too harsh.

"Notwithstanding the crime Blackman committed, ten years in prison is too much. Five years would have been appropriate."

Blackman shot the Afghan, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol.