Iraq war widow calls on Hoon to resign

The widow of a British soldier who was killed during the Iraq conflict has called on the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon to resign.

Samantha Roberts, the widow of Sergeant Steven Roberts, made the call today after releasing an audio tape made by her husband in which he complained about the lack of proper equipment in place in the run up to hostilities on March 19 last year.

Sergeant Roberts, 33, a member of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Tank Regiment, was shot in the chest by Basra rioters on March 24. Prior to the incident in which he would lose his life, Sergeant Roberts was ordered to give up his body armour to the infantry, who were deemed more in need of the extra protection.

Before entering Iraq, Sergeant Roberts began an audio diary of his experiences in which he complained about supply problems.

Three days before his death, he said: "Things we have been told we are going to get, we're not – and it's disheartening because we know we are going to go to war without the correct equipment."

In a BBC radio interview today Mrs Roberts said Mr Hoon should resign over the affair.

A government spokesperson, however, dismissed the resignation calls and the Prime Minister has said that the full findings of the inquest into Sergeant Robert's death should be known before going any further.

Lib Dem Shadow Defence Secretary, Paul Keetch, has called for a full inquiry into the issues raised by Mrs Roberts.

He said: "Mr Hoon denied time and again there were problems with kit, despite a mountain of evidence to the contrary. The Defence Secretary is already under great pressure as we wait for Lord Hutton to report. Today’s calls will not lessen that pressure.

"If the inquest into Sergeant Roberts’ death concludes that it could have been prevented by the use of body armour, there should be a full inquiry to establish whether his was the only death or serious injury resulting from inadequate kit.

"However resignations alone will not help our armed forces. We need action to make sure that lessons are learnt and our forces are properly equipped."

A report published last month by the National Audit Office found that British forces had indeed suffered from some logistical problems. It said that, despite fears of Iraq's WMD and chemical warfare capability, – the stated reason for military intervention against the Ba'athist regime – British frontline troops often went into battle against Saddam's forces without the correct equipment and supplies, including nuclear, chemical and biological protection.

There were "difficulties" in ensuring that front line forces received the equipment and supplies that they needed, and the rapid deployment revealed areas where there were "gaps in capability", the NAO report said.

"This led to shortages, loss of confidence in the supply chain and inefficiency as personnel searched for items they had ordered or ordered duplicates urgently," the report added.

However, the UK’s military operations in Iraq were, overall, a "significant success" and personnel and equipment performed "impressively", Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, reported to Parliament.

(gmcg)