LONDON — The former commander of American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan warned Friday that the United States’ military co-operation with the U.K. could be threatened by the growing use of human rights laws to target British soldiers. Writing in the Times of London, retired Gen. David Petraeus says the European Court of Human Rights is increasingly extending domestic human rights legislation to the battlefield. This has led to British soldiers being charged with human rights abuses — sometimes decades after the events in question. Britain’s political and military establishment has expressed concern in recent years over allegations of abuse by U.K. troops in war zones. Britain’s 2003-2009 military deployment in southern Iraq, for example, spawned multiple allegations of torture and abuse.

Source: National Post October 19, 2018 09:06 UTC