A former senior officer of the United Kingdom’s Special Forces has said that allegations of war crimes committed by British special forces in Afghanistan were not referred to military police in order to avoid potential negative effects on troop morale and ongoing military operations.
According to the BBC, the former officer told the Independent Inquiry into Afghanistan that the allegations against the United Kingdom’s Special Air Service (SAS) related to incidents that occurred between 2010 and 2013 in Afghanistan. Members of the SAS were deployed in the country between 2009 and 2014.
The officer, who at the time was the second most senior figure within the UK Special Forces, stated that two main factors led to the decision not to report the allegations. One concern was that an investigation could disrupt military operations and damage troop morale. The other related to the source of some of the evidence, which had reportedly come from a rival special forces unit.
According to his testimony, this decision meant that the Royal Military Police remained unaware for years of concerns regarding allegations of extrajudicial killings and the submission of false reports by members of the special forces.
The officer further stated that despite the seriousness of the allegations, the commander of the UK Special Forces decided in 2011 not to refer the matter to the Royal Military Police. Instead, an internal review was conducted into the operational methods and tactics used by the unit.
At the same time, classified documents related to British military operations in Afghanistan indicate that in several operations, individuals who had previously been detained and handcuffed were later killed by special forces personnel.
According to the published documents, in some operations the number of people killed exceeded the number of weapons reportedly recovered at the scene. This has raised questions about the use of lethal force during certain missions.
The BBC also reported that the headquarters of the UK Special Forces was aware of a complaint submitted by an international organization monitoring the war in Afghanistan. In addition, Afghan special forces repeatedly objected to what they believed were civilian killings and, in some cases, refused to participate in operations alongside British special forces.
Another military official, identified by the codename “N2252,” told the inquiry that if the Royal Military Police had been informed of these concerns in 2011, British special forces operations against Taliban members and those responsible for roadside bomb attacks would likely have been disrupted.
According to him, the launch of a formal investigation could have led to the temporary suspension of operational activities, reduced the troops’ focus on military missions, and weakened trust within the special forces structure.
The renewed allegations of war crimes against British special forces come as several foreign military personnel, including Australian soldiers, have also faced similar accusations related to the war in Afghanistan in recent years.
The NATO-led military operation in Afghanistan, under the leadership of the United States, began in 2001 and continued until 2014. After that, a number of U.S. forces remained in the country until 2021, when they withdrew following the collapse of the Afghan Republic and the return of the Taliban to power.
In recent years, countries including the United Kingdom and Australia have initiated reviews of their military conduct during the Afghanistan war, with investigations into alleged war crimes forming a key part of that process.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
