Is it possible that such atrocities occurred without the knowledge and concurrence of the officers in charge?

Identify them and prosecute them vigourously

Therzal: it is indeed depressing for those of us who live in the UK, to see a rapid slide backwards on the evolutionary scale. Here in the UK, our national pastime seems to be the act of being blind drunk. It is really no wonder that the armed forces attract certain members of society, because they have no other future.
It would be better if we alienated ourselves from US foreign policy and other influences, but we seem to be joined at the hip.
We never hear about torture and abuse carried out by other coalition countries, so we have to wonder, does it go on?

pistonbroke and AndyUK..
I stand informed and very sad that the country where I was born has descended so far down the slope into barbaric behaviour.
If they are the "misfits" you suggest, (I am not contradicting you) only going over for "some fun", I would love to see their faces when the first live round goes by and the reality of the situation strikes them..

I can't give you a list and can not be bothered to try, but there have been many times when the services have help civilians at home and O/S.. Don't take everything from them

Therzal: I would say that Philippe has a far more realistic view of the British army than you. You maintain that they are doing an ordinary job, and don't expect to be involved in a fire fight, well if that is so, then it doesn't say much for their intelligence or imagination.
They have joined up, because of a variety of reasons - some are born into a military family, some are taken in by the adverts on TV, some would like to find out what it is like to kill another human being.
A great number of these soldiers, particularly in the lower ranks, are social misfits, who would cause trouble in civilian life, possibly getting drunk and assaulting people.
I remember young men leaving my school, who wanted to join the army, in order to go to Ireland and do some "Paddy bashing".
We are not talking about defending our country from another Hitler, we have attacked another nation for no good reason, and the build up to that went back to 2002. If these people do not want to fight and kill other men, women and children, then why have so many joined the army in the last six years?
I would also like to know about the string of disasters where they help out, and other useful work, which you claim they do.
I would also challenge you over the fact that a military tribunal will arrive at a fair outcome, it is after all regulating itself, and a guilty verdict could have "serious effects on the soldier's morale".

Tony Blair had the common sense to step down after his atrocities. No such luck in the good ole U.S.of A.

In 1963 I was stationed in Beghazi when an earthquake struck a town just down the coast, British troops were there rescuing and supplying food and shelter days before any Libyans arrived.

I served in the British Army for 25 years and none of this shit was ever tolerated, it's the Bliar gangs way, lie, cheat and murder. The German and Italian prisoners were treated better than we were just after WW2 and we all agreed that's how it should be. These clowns wearing British uniforms are not soldiers, they're sadistic drop outs from a society of drop outs, because that is what Britain has become. Britain and the USA deserve each other.

Whats the big deal, it's only a token pay-back for the battle in January 1842, in which about 16,000 British and Indian troops were killed on the Khyber Pass.

what good will it do? There is photographic and video evidence of US Military torturing and murdering wounded Iraqis, and yet nothing has ever been done.

The US government has gone WAY beyond even the worst autrocities of the WW2 Japanese.

"It is well that war is so terrible -- lest we should grow too fond of it." Robert E. Lee

How much further down the humanity scale can it be from invading a country that was no threat to you to murdering captive's??? It all goes with the territory! It doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I guess it all depends upon how you define the word enemy???? I am certain the Iraqi's see us as the enemy! I wonder how many of you so called patriots would stand quietly buy and watch an invader destroy your country without doing something about it???????

"I don't see it as an execution, sir, I see it as killing the enemy."

"Dead checking is U.S. military jargon for the practice of verifying the death of Iraqi insurgents and the subsequent killing of those who remain alive when U.S. Armed Forces enter an insurgent house in hot battle as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_checking

Philippe..
Rather a lot of absolutes there Phillipe..
Many career military (which is what the British Army is) are doing a job not unlike you or I. It is just rather different in its scope and dangers. Of course they do peacetime training to fight, but most do not expect to actually go into a real firefight.
Much of what they do in peacetime is actually constructive and involves disaster and emergency and other such roles.
This is quite unlike a mercenary who seeks money to specifically go to an area where they know there is to be fighting and killing and the opportunity for their evil blood lust to be unleashed.
If these British soldiers are involved in such barbarity and the accounts suggest that they are, they will be treated accordingly by a properly convened and run Military court.

This must be just a taste for what's in store for the Americans!

A Viet Nam Vet told me that the My Lai Massacre was not an unusual incident during that war, of which I replied "I know" No one had to tell me that, I just knew.

Well, you have to understand what kind of guys want to be professional killers, because that's what soldiers who enlist are. I have the utter most respect for draftees, which are citizens cornered by extraordinary circumstances and who answer the call of their country. They too, can certainly commit attrocities, but the ones who chose to enlist, knowing they will ONLY fight against ill-equipped third world people, WILL committ atrocities. There's no doubt in my mind. Their mind is already set up to commit atrocities. The draftees may or may not commit them.
I have absolutely no regards for enlisted mercenaries, they can come back or not, dead or alive, mutilated or not. I don't care. I'd rather have them NOT to come back. As for the debate of how messed up they come back to us, sorry, big misunderstanding here. They were messed up BEFORE they went, that's why they chose to become professsional killers, they were messed up alredy, big time. PERIOD

Is this all that much different from bombing, starving, destroying infrastructure, and starting a civil war to kill people?

Maybe it is just slower and more fun for the perpetrators.

"The claims, which the Ministry of Defence denies, are among the most serious yet levelled against British soldiers who served in Iraq." According to the ever so impartial BBC, the lies were "refuted". But they reported the government's denial of rendition flights stopping on British territory as if they were credible, too.

As for the soldiers - I hope they can't sleep. What kind of mentality could live with the everyday inhumanity of war and feel no guilt or shame?

Now why would they cut off a penis, if not to terrorize and torture? And if they ended up killing them all anyway, what was the purpose of any of it? I wonder how those soldiers now sleep? I wonder how they make it to anywhere but hell?

Dirty hands!

And Tony B. Liar wants to parlay this atrocity into a kingship?