UK special forces chiefs covered up Afghanistan war crimes, inquiry told

Senior subject leaders suppressed reports of imaginable warfare crimes by elite troops, whistleblower testifies.

Senior United Kingdom peculiar forces leaders covered up imaginable warfare crimes successful Afghanistan, a erstwhile elder serviceman has told a nationalist inquiry.

The erstwhile high-ranking serviceman alleged that 2 erstwhile directors of Britain’s peculiar forces failed to enactment connected claims that soldiers unlawfully killed civilians successful Afghanistan portion operating determination much than 10 years ago, according to grounds released connected Monday.

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The whistleblower’s grounds alleged that commanders astatine the highest levels knew astir suspected executions arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2011, but chose to hide the claims alternatively than study them to subject police.

The grounds suggests the inaction allowed the killings to proceed for astatine slightest 2 much years, raising questions astir accountability wrong 1 of the world’s champion grooming and lethal subject units.

The officer, identified lone arsenic N1466 to support his existent identity, was among the astir elder figures successful UK peculiar forces.

He told the enquiry helium handed implicit what helium described arsenic “explosive” grounds pointing to transgression behaviour by Special Air Service (SAS) troops operating successful the country.

N1466 said helium archetypal grew acrophobic successful aboriginal 2011 aft reviewing reports from Afghanistan that showed an alarming pattern.

During 1 raid, 9 Afghan men were killed, but lone 3 weapons were recovered. The serviceman besides heard that soldiers had been boasting during grooming astir sidesplitting each fighting-age males during operations, irrespective of what menace they posed.

The whistleblower said helium passed his findings to the manager of peculiar forces, making wide determination was beardown imaginable for transgression behaviour.

But alternatively of alerting investigators, the manager ordered an interior reappraisal of tactics that N1466 dismissed arsenic “a small fake exercise” designed to springiness the quality of enactment portion suppressing the truth.

When a 2nd manager took complaint successful 2012, the lethal signifier of behaviour wasn’t arrested.

That aforesaid year, 2 young parents were changeable dormant successful their furniture during a nighttime raid successful Nimruz province. Their babe sons, sleeping beside them, were besides changeable and earnestly wounded. The incidental was not reported to police.

N1466 said helium yet went to subject constabulary himself successful 2015, but expressed heavy regret astatine not acting sooner.

“Those radical who died unnecessarily from that constituent onwards, determination were 2 toddlers changeable successful their furniture adjacent to their parents, each that would not needfully person travel to pass” if the allegations had been decently handled, helium said.

The probe is examining whether astir 80 Afghan civilians were unlawfully killed by British forces betwixt 2010 and 2013.

It was launched successful 2023 aft a BBC documentary revealed that 1 SAS squadron had killed 54 radical successful suspicious circumstances during conscionable six months.

Johnny Mercer, the UK’s erstwhile veterans minister, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme connected Monday that the process done which this accusation was coming to airy “has to beryllium done fairly”.

“We’re not going to get determination by selectively releasing bits of commentary that acceptable a definite narrative,” Mercer said.

Despite erstwhile subject constabulary investigations, nary charges person ever been brought. The enquiry continues.