British war veterans who claim to be suffering from Gulf War Syndrome won a landmark legal victory at London's High Court today.
A senior judge backed a war pensions tribunal ruling that has for the first time given officialrecognition to the syndrome.
The case is of major significance for many war veterans, though the ruling is unlikely to be the end of the matter in Britain. The Ministry of Defence is expected to appeal.
The case centred on former Parachute Regiment medical officer Shaun Rusling who suffers from a range of illnesses that he attributes to his service in the 1991 Gulf War.
Mr Rusling (44) receives a 90 per cent war disablement pension but has continued to campaign for official recognition of Gulf War Syndrome, symptoms of which are said to include fatigue, nausea, fever and depression.
Gulf War Syndrome is still under scrutiny in the medical community. It has been linked to stress, smoke from burning oil wells and depleted uranium in weapons. It has also been blamed on inoculations given to troops.