One of the paratroopers cleared of murdering an Iraqi civilian has accused the Army of "hanging him out to dry".

Corporal Scott Evans, aged 32, from Birmingham, said he felt betrayed by the regiment he had regarded as his family and now plans to leave the Army.

He said: "We've been badly hung out to dry. The Army is your family, isn't it? You expect your family to look after you through thick and thin, but they betrayed us. It seems that in the Army's eyes, you are guilty until proven innocent."

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He said of the strain of being under suspicion for two years: "My whole life has been on hold. How can you plan when you don't know what your future will be?"

On Thursday, a judge advocate threw out the estimated £10 million court martial case against the men, who were accused of beating to death an 18-year-old Iraqi.

He criticised "serious omissions" in the investigation and said it had been clear the main Iraqi witnesses exaggerated and lied about the alleged incident.

The soldiers, all members of the 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, have been found not guilty of murder and violent disorder.

They were accused of killing 18-year-old Nadhem Abdullah in an attack on a group of Iraqi civilians in al-Ferkah, 60 miles north of Basra, in May 2003.

The cleared men were Corporal Scott Evans; Private Billy Nerney, aged 24; Samuel May, aged 25;, Morne Vosloo, aged 26; Daniel Harding, aged 25; Roberto Di-Gregorio, aged 24; and Scott Jackson, aged 26.

Cpl Evans said he remained unconvinced that the murder ever happened and claimed his unit was miles away from the place of the attack.

He said: "The evidence doesn't really show that there was. As far as I know there's been a big compensation claim and he (the alleged victim) is still alive and in Baghdad or a different village waiting for the money to come through. It could be a possibility, couldn't it?"

He said that while his family had supported him throughout the case, he had had no support from his colleagues in 3 Para.

"We've had no support from them at all. The families officer hasn't visited my wife and kids, the padre hasn't visited - no one," he said.

"Obviously, I still have regimental pride, but to be honest, the whole thing has left a bitter taste. It is as if they've just washed their hands of it all."

Although still formally in the Army, he said he had handed in his notice, bought a home in Birmingham for his family and hoped to find work as a physical fitness instructor.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said Cpl Evans was entitled to his views.

"We agreed with the judge that the evidence needed to be presented and tested," he said.

Meanwhile, insurgents armed with Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades battled about 3,500 US and Iraqi troops yesterday on the streets of Husaybah in the second day of an offensive to rout al Qaida from its stronghold along the Syrian border.

Two American service members were reportedly wounded in Saturday's fighting. Brig Gen Donald Alston said no US or Iraqi forces had been killed. "We are having contact with the enemy, but we are not meeting stiff resistance," he said.

The New York Times, which had a reporter embedded with coalition forces, said they met more resistance than expected in Husaybah, and only managed to take control of several blocks by nightfall on Saturday.

At least two US service members were wounded by sporadic enemy fire.