A West Midlands soldier cleared of killing an Iraqi teenager by forcing him to swim in a canal is to quit the Army in protest at being made a "scapegoat", it is reported.
Irish Guardsman Martin McGing, 22, was among three soldiers cleared this week of the manslaughter of 15-year-old Ahmed Jabar Karheem in May 2003.
The teenager drowned in a canal in Basra after he was ordered into the water by British soldiers when he was caught looting.
A military tribunal found the men not guilty after hearing that "wetting" of looters was accepted practice, and regarded as "minimum force" in the circumstances.
There was criticism during the five-week trial, in Colchester, Essex, that British soldiers were insufficiently trained to deal with the large numbers of looters.
Guardsman McGing, of Oldbury, said he was bitter at being "hung out to dry" by the army.
He said: "I'm bitter at the way the Army has treated us for doing our duty.
"I always wanted to be a soldier. Now I have a different view because the Army hung me out to dry.
"They put me in court and led to this hanging over me and my family for three years. I want out as soon as possible."
He also warned soldiers heading to Iraq: "Hire a good lawyer in case the Army stabs you in the back."
