Iraq: British forces are investigating how two of their soldiers found in a shallow grave in southern Iraq died, and whether they were executed.
The remains of Staff Sgt Simon Cullingworth (36) and Sapper Luke Allsopp (24) were found near Al Zubayr, outside Basra.
Their Land Rover was ambushed on March 23rd near Al Zubayr, and footage of their bodies was broadcast on the Arab satellite network al-Jazeera, causing outrage in Britain.
Sapper Allsopp, from north London, and Sgt Cullingworth, from Essex, were both members of the 33 (EOD) Engineer Regiment, a specialist bomb-disposal unit of the Royal Engineers.
Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair had said the men had been "executed", but the family of Sapper Allsopp reacted angrily, saying the army had told them the men died in combat.
With post mortem examinations being carried out on the remains, the question of how they died is expected to be answered within weeks. Military sources said the fact their bodies were buried, which was unusual, suggested they may have been killed in cold blood.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said cause of deaths had not been confirmed, but that execution was a possibility.
On a visit to the US earlier this month, Mr Blair spoke of "the release of those pictures of executed British soldiers" and condemned the decision to broadcast them as "an act of cruelty beyond comprehension".
Sapper Allsopp's family expressed disbelief at government claims that they were executed. The soldier's sister, Nina, and Iraqi authorities said the claims were "lies". She told the Daily Mirror that senior officers from her brother's barracks in Wimbish, Essex, informed the family that he had been killed instantly in battle. - (PA, Reuters)