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MoD paid 3.3 million pounds in Iraq compensation

LONDON, April 2 (KUNA) -- Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has paid out more than three million pounds in compensation to Iraqis killed or injured by British troops since 2003, figures released by the Department showed Wednesday.
Britain's Defence Secretary Des Browne said his department had paid two million pounds in 2007-2008 alone, bringing the total payout since the invasion to 3,340,000 pounds.
That total is likely to rise substantially following Browne's admission last week that British soldiers breached the human rights of an Iraqi who died in UK custody along with the rights of eight other Iraqi men.
Baha Mousa, 26, a hotel receptionist in Basra, was detained in 2003 under suspicion of being an insurgent. After his death, he was found to have 93 separate injuries on his body.
Seven British soldiers were cleared at a later court martial.
The figures were released in response to a parliamentary written question from the opposition liberal democrat MP Ed Davey.(end) he.asa KUNA 021319 Apr 08NNNN