[Sinner]

The damage is done, It really does not matter if the photos are fake or real to people in Iraq and the Middle East who want the US and British Soldiers out.



SOLDIERS WHO BATTLE WITH PRESSURE

By Steve Mckenzie



IN armies all over the world down through history, there are records of abuses by soldiers.

And the allegations against US and British troops in Iraq are an awful public relations disaster for the Coalition.

But it seems to me the acts have not been systematic or pre-planned. The pressures of war and modern soldiering should take some of the blame.

They cannot just be a front-line shock troop but also a police officer, prison warder or even a social worker.

Pilots are trained to blow up buildings full of people, then have to turn their hand to delivering relief aid.

In Iraq, British and US forces were expected to overcome Saddam Hussein's army quickly, then take onWar expert PROFESSOR JIM WYLLIE of Aberdeen University examines the situations that can harden soldiers to crueltya role of maintaining civil order. The Americans have been criticised for the way they have handled flashpoints Fallujah and Najaf.

It has been said they should take a leaf out of the way the British are handling Basra, using their experiences in Northern Ireland.

But Ulster had Bloody Sunday and the shoot-to-kill controversies.

If there is any solace to be had, it is that our media has the freedom to make us face up to these allegations.