Ungrateful interpreters Sue British forces !

Am I the only one thinking this is wrong ?

They became interpreters because of the good salaries on offer. Are they any different from an Oil Worker going to Nigeria or a Mercenary , since they know what the dangers are!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About 25 Iraqis, mainly interpreters, employed by British forces in Iraq will sue the Government on Friday for failing to give them sufficient protection from murderous militias that regarded the men as traitors.

The group, which failed to benefit from an assistance scheme offered by Britain, said that they were owed a duty of care.

The Government has relocated just over 200 former workers and, where appropriate, their immediate families to Britain under the assistance programme, launched two years ago after a campaign in The Times about the plight of Iraqi interpreters.

Many more received one-off cash payments as compensation for their work and the intimidation suffered as a result. Almost 700, however, failed to qualify for the scheme, which only offers help to those who worked for the British mission for at least 12 consecutive months from the start of 2005.

The law firm Leigh Day & Co is co-ordinating the legal action.

“It is for financial compensation for those who have suffered the loss of the bread winner of the family to help them to start rebuilding their lives,” said Sapna Malik, a partner at the firm.

“It is also to send a message to the Armed Forces that they must have better planning for this in the future,” she told The Times. It was important to ensure better protection of the identity of people who work for British troops in difficult places such as Afghanistan, where many locals are employed.

The 25 claimants include the families of two interpreters and a man who worked in the laundry of a base in Basra who were killed by militiamen. The remainder comprise former interpreters and two Iraqis in other roles.

The number of claims could rise in the coming months as more details come forward.

Shia militiamen who effectively controlled Basra, southern Iraq, for several years while British forces where in the area conducted a campaign of terror against any local people associated with Britain. Many interpreters were forced to quit their job out of fear of death. Others were not so lucky.

Scores of men were kidnapped and tortured to death, their bodies dumped in wasteland as a reminder to others what happens to “collaborators”.

A number of the survivors fled to neighbouring Syria and Jordan to seek shelter. Those who could not afford such a move went into hiding in Basra or elsewhere in Iraq.

Source - The Times