Britain to launch two new Afghan war investigations

LONDON (Reuters) - Two new inquiries will examine Britain's role in the Afghanistan war, a parliamentary body said on Wednesday after leaked U.S. military documents cast a new light on civilian casualties.

Parliament's defense committee said issues it would look at in the first inquiry include the justification for Britain's continued participation in the nine-year war, the reporting of civilian casualties and the timetable for withdrawal.

The second inquiry will examine the context for a political settlement in Afghanistan, it said in a statement.

Concern is mounting over the performance of the unpopular NATO-led, U.S.-dominated, mission against al Qaeda-allied Afghan militants and the inquiries could pile pressure on the British government over its handling of the conflict.

"The defense committee is today announcing the first of two major inquiries into Afghanistan," said the influential panel, whose inquiries are meant to scrutinize the work of the government and bring it to account.

Recent months have been among the deadliest for Western forces in Afghanistan and on Sunday, the whistle-blowing organization WikiLeaks leaked thousands of secret U.S. military documents, some of which alleged that Western forces sought to cover up civilian deaths.

The leaked documents also highlighted U.S. concerns that Pakistan secretly aided the Taliban even as it took billions of dollars in U.S. aid. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the documents show evidence of potential war crimes.

A defense committee member said the inquiries were not related to the WikiLeaks documents and that discussions to launch the inquiries had begun before the documents were leaked.

Other issues to be examined in the first inquiry include success in providing security to Afghans, relationships within NATO and with the United States, and provision of support for British armed forces.

Britain has some 9,500 troops in Afghanistan and they have been involved in some of the fiercest fighting -- 325 British soldiers have been killed since the war began in 2001.

Prime Minister David Cameron last week said British troops could start withdrawing as early as next year, part of a plan to draw down the bulk of the troops by 2015.

The cross-party, 12-member committee's findings will be made public, but there is no timeline.

Government ministers are often questioned by the committee, and the government must respond to the body's recommendations within two months of their publication.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Mark Heinrich)