Britain's defence minister made an unusual public apology today, admitting Britain had taken part in the "rendition" of suspects detained in Iraq after denying it for years.
In a lengthy statement to parliament, defence secretary John Hutton confirmed that Britain handed over two suspects captured in Iraq in 2004 to US custody and that they were subsequently transferred to Afghanistan, breaching US-British agreements.
The British ministry of defence has been repeatedly asked over the past five years about its involvement in rendition, the unlawful transfer of suspects to a third country, and consistently denied it played any role in the US-administered programme.
"I regret that it is now clear that inaccurate information on this particular issue has been given to the House by my department on a small number of occasions," Mr Hutton said.
"I want to apologise to the House for these errors."
Two men seized by British troops in Iraq in February 2004 were transferred to US detention and later flown to Afghanistan, where they remain in US custody.
Both are said to be members of Laskhar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based group with links to al- Qaeda.
Human rights groups said Mr Hutton's admission amounted to a "major U-turn" that called into question the government's previous denials and whether its position now was believable.
"For years now the British government has been tossing us miserable scraps of information about its involvement in illegal renditions in Pakistan, Diego Garcia and now Afghanistan," said Clara Gutteridge, an investigator with Reprieve, a charity that campaigns for the release of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
"Enough is enough. The British government must come clean and reveal exactly who it has captured, what has been done to them and where they are now," she said.
"I'm afraid this is only the tip of the renditions iceberg."
Reuters