British Army pays £1m to Iraqi families

Almost £1m has been paid to Iraqi civilians in compensation for injuries and damage to property caused by British soldiers, the Ministry of Defence disclosed.

Some of the payments have gone to families of Iraqis shot dead during military operations. A small number of these cases are still being pursued in the British courts and could lead to much higher payouts.

Most of the money has been paid to homeowners whose properties were damaged or destroyed. One of the biggest bills came after the Army stormed an Iraqi police station to release two SAS soldiers in Basra in September.

In another case the Army apologised for raiding the home of a prominent MP from Basra and arresting his family. Officers blamed an intelligence blunder for mistaking Mansour Abdulrazzaq Mansour, one of its closest allies in Iraq's second city, for an insurgent.