HC Deb 21 May 2004 vol 421 c1271W
Glenda Jackson

To ask the Prime Minister if he will estimate how many Iraqi(a) women, (b) children and (c) civilians have been (i) killed and (ii) injured in the recent siege of Fallujah. [171976]

The Prime Minister

The Coalition always take great care to minimise the risks to civilians in all areas of Iraq. It is not always possible to confirm whether casualties have occurred, as Coalition forces are not always able to enter the areas from which they are being fired on. There are further difficulties in estimating numbers of deaths when those deaths have been caused by terrorist attacks.

Glenda Jackson

To ask the Prime Minister (1) pursuant to his answer of 12 May 2004, Official Report, column 385W, on Iraq, whether the three UK military personnel were working in the military intelligence section of Abu Ghraig prison; [174330]

(2) whether the three UK military personnel who worked in Abu Ghraib prison between January and April were under the command of (a) British and (b) US authorities during that time; and to which authority they reported. [174328]

The Prime Minister

Yes. The three military personnel were under British Command at all times, reporting to the Senior British Military Representative in Baghdad. They assisted in gathering information important to the Coalition's aim of establishing stability in Iraq through interviewing detainees.