Soldier on Afghan war crime charges

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Officers from the Royal Military Police's special investigation branch have launched a probe into the incident which allegedly took place in Helmand Province in August, The Sunday Telegraph said.

The region has seen some of the British Army's bloodiest fighting, with 19 deaths alone during the month and many more injured.

According to the paper, the soldier in question holds the rank of lance corporal, is 25 and is a trained Pashto interpreter. He was serving with the special forces group, which has suffered a number of casualties.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence was unable to comment on the allegations.

The Sunday Telegraph said the incident allegedly took place in a forward operating base in Helmand after members of the special forces captured several suspected Taliban gunmen thought to have been responsible for carrying out improvised explosive device attacks against British troops.

When one of the suspects refused to answer questions, the British interpreter is said to have drawn his pistol, cocked it and pushed the prisoner's head down on to the table.

He then allegedly pressed the gun into the back of the suspect's head and said in Pashto: "Answer the questions or you're dead."

The soldier - who was reported to have been arrested last week - faces trial by court martial if charged, and a possible custodial sentence if found guilty.

Threatening prisoners of war with violence is in breach of the Geneva Convention, and is also defined as a war crime under the International Criminal Court Act.