LONDON: British soldiers have been accused of executing up to 20 Iraqi prisoners in cold blood, a charge denied by the government.

The allegations were made by men taken captive after a battle near the town of Majat-al-Kabir in southern Iraq in May 2004, and also suggest that prisoners were tortured and mutilated.

An investigation by the Army and the International Red Cross could find no proof but human rights lawyers are now demanding that the case be handed over to Scotland Yard, the Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday.

Lawyers for five Iraqis claimed yesterday that they had detailed witness statements, photographs of corpses and death certificates of the men who died.

The charges, which have been strongly denied by the Ministry of Defence, are among the most serious leveled against British soldiers in Iraq.

Phil Shiner, a leading solicitor, said of the dossier, "We would be very surprised if it did not shock the nation."

The claims form the basis for a BBC Panorama programme due to be broadcast next week that has been condemned by the armed forces minister and senior Army commanders, who are convinced that the allegations are without foundation.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said, "Allegations of mistreatment, unlawful killing and mutilations by British troops following an incident at vehicle checkpoint Danny Boy were thoroughly investigated by the RMP. They found no evidence to support these allegations."

Human Rights lawyer Phil Shiner likened the alleged killings to Japanese atrocities during the Second World War.

He and fellow solicitor Martyn Day urged the Attorney General to hand the case over to Scotland Yard for investigation because the Royal Military Police were 'not fit for purpose'.

They also demanded a full public inquiry.

A spokesman for Panorama, which has spent a year examining the claims, said the evidence did not prove Iraqis had died at the hands of British captors, but that prisoners may have been 'mistreated'.

Source : PTI