We will protect soldiers, says Fallon as he shuts down Iraq inquiry team

British soldiers will be protected from bogus and vexatious legal claims arising from active service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland, the defence secretary said last night.

Sir Michael Fallon announced the closure of the controversial Iraq Historic Investigations Team (IHAT) and the discontinuation of hundreds of abuse claims from Afghanistan.

He also signalled a determination to ensure that service personnel did not become the focus of investigations into unsolved murders in the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The Ministry of Defence said it was committed to ensuring that, in future, the armed forces were “not subject to persistent human rights claims that undermine their ability to do their job”.