London: Fifteen British troops who were held by Iran for two weeks last year were in disputed waters when they were captured, not in Iraqi waters as the government had publicly claimed, The Times reported today.

Citing documents released by the defence ministry under Freedom of Information laws, the newspaper said the contingent of Britons was captured because the US-led coalition in Iraq had unilaterally designated a maritime boundary for Iraq and Iran without informing the latter.

The 15 sailors and marines were seized on March 23 near the Shatt al-Arab waterway which divides Iran and Iraq, and were released nearly two weeks later.

Last June, a report by the former head of the Royal Marines, Lieutenant General Sir Rob Fulton, found the capture was down to no individual human error, but a series of shortcomings.

According to The Times, the internal defence ministry briefing papers also showed that the Britons made a last-gasp radio call to their ship asking for a helicopter to be sent to give them cover, and also raised their weapons before the Iranian gunboats that captured them arrived alongside their boat.

The documents, which were addressed to the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, blamed their capture on the absence of agreed-upon maritime borders between Iraq and Iran, and a failure to co-ordinate any boundaries between Iraq, Iran, and the coalition.

When contacted by AFP, a defence ministry spokeswoman was unable to immediately comment on The Times report.

Source : PTI