 The families of the dead men want their bravery to be recognised |
The families of six military policemen killed by a mob in Iraq have called for an independent inquiry into the deaths. They believe the Ministry of Defence has "white-washed" the incident by refusing to discipline or blame any of the soldiers involved.
An MoD inquiry found the deaths "could not have been reasonably prevented".
But the relatives of the Royal Military Police officers - Red Caps - say negligence of Army personnel led to the deaths on 24 June 2003.
Independent inquiry
The six were killed after becoming trapped in a police station in the town of Al Majar Al Kabir, near Basra in southern Iraq.
Their families insist the men were poorly equipped and given the wrong information about the area which they were about to patrol.
 | RED CAPS KILLED IN IRAQ Corporal Simon Miller, 21
Tyne and Wear Sergeant Simon Alexander Hamilton-Jewell, 41
Chessington, Surrey Corporal Russell Aston, 30
Swadlincote, Derbyshire Corporal Paul Graham Long, 24
Colchester Lance-Corporal Benjamin John McGowan Hyde, 23
Northallerton, Yorks Lance-Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20
Bala, North Wales |
They say the Army had been warned that the region was particularly unstable.
They also believe their loved ones should be recognised for their bravery.
The family members met senior Army officers on Thursday to discuss the findings of the MoD's inquiry.
The MoD said in a statement that the families would be allowed to ask "detailed questions" to the officers about the circumstances of the soldiers' deaths.
The statement said MoD officials "remain committed to doing whatever we can to bring those responsible for this crime to justice".
After the meeting the families held a press conference in London, where they called for an independent public inquiry.
Equipment 'stripped'
Reg Keys, the 52-year-old father of Thomas Keys, said: "We are victims of a whitewash in order to protect the careers of some individuals."
He said the Army claims Al Majar Al Kabir was a "relatively benign town", but in fact it was a "powder keg waiting to explode".
|  We think we should all be entitled to know every second of our sons' last day on this earth and that's all we're asking for |
He said the Red Caps were stripped of necessary equipment before being sent to their deaths.
He added that there were seven Army personnel who the families would like to speak to.
He refused to name the seven, only saying that he believed they could shed some light on the Red Caps' last day.
Paul Long's mother, Pat, said she was speaking on behalf of the mothers of the dead men.
"We gave birth to our sons, we carried them for nine months and we think we should all be entitled to know every second of our sons' last day on this earth and that's all we're asking for," she told the press conference.
Earlier, Mr Keys announced he would be standing against Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon at the next general election.
He will stand as an independent candidate in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, to continue his campaign for "justice" for his son.
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