Tories urge care over war comments

Tories urge care over war comments

The two soldiers died in Iraq

Greater care is needed over comments on the deaths of British troops to save their families from unnecessary suffering, Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has said.

He was speaking after Prime Minister Tony Blair caused a row by claiming Iraq had "executed" two British soldiers.

This reportedly angered the family of Sapper Luke Allsop, who said they had been told by his regiment that he had died in battle.

On Friday, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram expressed his "regret" for any distress Mr Blair's comments had caused.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Duncan Smith did not expressly criticise Mr Blair, but said any comment on troop deaths should be "circumspect".

The important thing is that we all pause for thought before we open our mouths

Iain Duncan Smith

The exact circumstances of the deaths was not yet known, he said.

If it was shown they had been executed, those responsible should face war crimes trials, he added.

The Tory leader told Today: "The prime minister made his comments. I gather Downing Street has made some correcting comments.

"I believe it is best for all of us if we try to leave it there.

"I don't think the families gain anything by this. The best thing we can all be is a little more circumspect when dealing with the tragedy of death.

"The important thing is that we all pause for thought before we open our mouths."

Mr Blair made his execution claim - denied by Iraq - at a news conference with President George W Bush at Camp David near Washington.

He also expressed outrage that an Arab news channel had shown pictures of the bodies.

'Soviet tactic'

Mr Duncan Smith also defended coalition progress, though he suggested Iraqi tactics had not been predicted by military planners.

"What they originally planned for was that there would be the Iraqi army and Republican Guard in fixed positions around key cities."

Given the information available to us, it did indicate that those two soldiers may have been executed

Adam Ingram
Armed forces minister

'Regret' over execution comment

But in reality the Iraqi army had "disintegrated and disappeared", with both regular and Republican Guard divisions around Basra melting away.

Iraq was using a Soviet tactic of withdrawing army regulars from the battlefield and leaving "stay-behind" units to disrupt lines of communication, he said.

While these needed to be dealt with and could delay coalition advances, they were not a significant obstacle, he said.

'Key moment'

Coalition forces now needed to "bring the Republican Guard around Baghdad into combat", said Mr Duncan Smith.

"They have to bring them into the open... and crush them.

"At that point, the whole balance begins to shift. Those defeated people streaming back into Baghdad begins to shift the whole template and balance of power in Baghdad."

Mr Duncan Smith said he had never believed the campaign would end within days, with a popular uprising toppling Saddam Hussein.

"When war is engaged on this scale, nothing is ever easy, nothing is ever likely to happen absolutely according to plan," he said.

The key point was that coalition troops were now "in a stable position".

"What they have now got to do is make sure they have the wherewithal and reserves, the manpower, to actually bring the Republican Guard to battle and destroy them.

"That is the key moment in this whole campaign."