[JURIST] Senior officers in the British Army [official website] have been briefed on protecting the reputation of the armed services in the midst of close judicial scrutiny of soldiers' conduct in Iraq, according to a report in the Guardian newspaper Friday. The British military has come in for sharp public criticism in the wake of the court martial of paratroopers accused of killing an Iraqi [Times report], allegations of war crimes in connection with the death of an another Iraqi who died in British custody [BBC report], and pre-trial comments of a judge describing the situation in Iraq as "dreadful." Major General Bill Rollo, assistant chief of the general staff, warned colleagues that with an ongoing deployment in Iraq and 4000 troops going to Afghanistan in 2006, "there is more to come." Of the 184 Iraq incidents at one under point under legal investigation, 164 were closed, "one case was still under investigation, five trials had been completed, five were awaiting a trial, five were still with army prosecutors, one was with the chain of command and three had been dealt with summarily", according to the newspaper. The Guardian has more.

Previously in JURIST's Paper Chase:

• Court rules UK rights law bars UK troops from abusing Iraqi prisoners
• British courts-martial over Iraq abuse to begin next year
• UK soldiers facing court-martial for Iraqi war crimes
• Ex-UK defense chiefs argue against trying British soldiers for Iraq conduct
• British officer could face court martial for war crimes
• Court authorizes judicial inquiry into alleged killing of Iraqi civilian by UK troops