THE British Ministry of Defence (MoD) is facing a further series of court battles that may shed more damaging light on the conduct of British troops in Iraq, after it emerged that many more civilians died in army custody than previously thought.

At least eight Iraqi civilians are now acknowledged to have died while being held by the British military after the 2003 invasion, including Baha Mousa, the hotel receptionist who was beaten to death while in army custody in Basra. Inquiries by lawyers representing a number of families of abused Iraqi civilians suggest the death toll may have been higher still.

In seven cases raised by the Guardian, the MoD is refusing to explain why the individuals were detained, or say where, how or why they died. Officials have refused even to disclose whether the deaths were investigated.

Lawyers representing 102 Iraqi civilians will seek a judicial review of the MoD's refusal to hold a public inquiry into all cases of abuse of civilians after the invasion. The 102 individuals allege they were victims of thousands of offences. It would be the third such inquiry.

The seven Iraqis whose unexplained deaths have been the subject of the Guardian's questions are

— Tanik Mahmud, who died on April 12, 2003. He is reported to have died on an RAF helicopter after being detained by troops of the RAF Regiment.

— Ather Karen al-Mowafakia, who died on April 29, 2003. MPs have been told that he died during “operations”. Witnesses have told the Guardian that he was shot in the abdomen after the door of his car struck a British soldier, and that he was then dragged from the vehicle and beaten by British troops, dying later in hospital.

— Radhi Nama, who died on May 8, 2003, possibly while hooded and handcuffed.

— Abd al-Jubba Mousa Ali, who died on May 17, 2003. A headteacher, he is understood to have been arrested along with his son after troops found a firearm in their home. His son says they were both kicked and slapped, and that his father was repeatedly struck with a rifle butt.

— Said Shabram, who died on May 24, 2003. Shortly after his death, soldiers of the Black Watch regiment were reported to have told relatives that two men had died after being “roughed up”. Military police are reported to have questioned soldiers from the regiment, but it remains unclear whether any further action was taken.

— AJ Khalif, who died on Aug 7, 2003, in circumstances that remain unclear.

— An unidentified person who died on April 10, 2004, and whose death was mentioned in an answer to a parliamentary question that Bob Ainsworth, the former defence secretary, gave last July. It remains unclear whether the military has since tried to establish the man's identity.

Two other civilians, Ahmed Jabber Kareem and Hassan Abbad Said, are also known to have died in British custody, or while being taken into custody. Three soldiers were cleared of the manslaughter of Kareem, 15, a non-swimmer who was thrown into a canal. A soldier was charged with the murder of Said, a lawyer, who was shot in the back, allegedly while resisting arrest, but the case was later abandoned.

— The Guardian, London