[JURIST] Approximately 50 British soldiers are facing court martial [UK MOD backgrounder] for murder, manslaughter, assault and other crimes in Iraq. The allegations against them are contained in secret military documents obtained by London's Sunday Telegraph [article, registration required]. The documents show that almost 3 times the number of soldiers face charges than has been admitted by the British Ministry of Defence, including 2 cases where Iraqi civilians were drowned by members of the SAS, the elite Special Air Services. On Friday, a military judge in Germany sentenced 3 British soldiers to prison [UK MOD press release; JURIST report] for abusing Iraqi civilians, prompting a formal apology by the General Sir Mike Jackson, Chief of the British General Staff. A senior government lawyer has raised concerns about the government's ability to investigate allegations against soldiers. The Guardian has background on the latest prosecutions.