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SAS not investigated over war crime allegations amid morale fears, inquiry hears
Senior officers chose a quick internal review that found no criminal wrongdoing, leaving military police unaware of alleged killings and falsified reports for years.
- On Friday, inquiry testimony revealed the then-director of UK Special Forces chose an internal review over a Royal Military Police referral in 2011, despite allegations of SAS war crimes between 2010 and 2013.
- Former UKSF chief of staff N2252 testified headquarters avoided police involvement to maintain operational tempo against Taliban operatives and IED bombmakers, fearing investigations would signal distrust to troops.
- Reports from Afghan special forces and international monitors raised concerns about alleged extrajudicial killings; investigations revealed an imbalanced ratio of dead to weapons recovered, suggesting many victims posed no immediate threat.
- Senior officer N1788 denied hearing rumours of war crimes, though inquiry lawyers challenged his testimony, citing a phone conversation where he allegedly asked if "the 'm-word' was relevant" regarding potential murders.
- The internal review took just one week and found no wrongdoing, leading UKSF officer N889 to admit he was likely "too quick to believe" operational reports, despite legal obligations to alert military police.
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The former chief of the British Special Forces headquarters says charges of war crimes against the Special Air Service (SAS) in Afghanistan were not referred to the military police to avoid negatively affecting the morale of the troops. The former security official made the revelations in an interview with the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Afghanistan, the BBC reported on Friday. The British Special Air Service unit was stationed in Afg…
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