British military leaders are concerned that British troops may be accused of war crimes by the new International Criminal Court (or ICC, which Britain signed on with, but the U.S. refused to participate in). The U.S. felt the ICC might be subject to political pressure, and this is what Britain is now afraid of. Most European nations are against any attack on Iraq (and also refuse to accuse any of the Iraqi leadership of war crimes, but that's another story.) British generals fear that, in the wake of an Iraqi invasion, other European members of the ICC will bring charges against British soldiers. However, the British Ministry of Defence pointed out that the ICC allows soldiers charged, to be tried in their own country. This meant that British soldiers carrying out orders from their superiors, and charged for "war crimes" by the ICC, would be tried by British courts. The British are also concerned that any British troops associated (working at the Predator base, or in an aircraft providing electronic or intelligence support) with American attacks, like the recent Hellfire attack on al Qaeda members in Yemen, might also be charged with war crimes by the ICC.
