Senior United Kingdom special forces leaders covered up potential war crimes in Afghanistan, a former senior officer has told a public inquiry.
The former high-ranking officer alleged that two former directors of Britain’s special forces failed to act on claims that soldiers unlawfully killed civilians in Afghanistan while operating there more than 10 years ago, according to evidence released on Monday.
The whistleblower’s testimony alleged that commanders at the highest levels knew about suspected executions as early as 2011, but chose to bury the claims rather than report them to military police.
The evidence suggests the inaction allowed the killings to continue for at least two more years, raising questions about accountability within one of the world’s best training and lethal military units.
The officer, identified only as N1466 to protect his true identity, was among the most senior figures in UK special forces.
He told the inquiry he handed over what he described as “explosive” evidence pointing to criminal conduct by Special Air Service (SAS) troops operating in the country.
N1466 said he first grew concerned in early 2011 after reviewing reports from Afghanistan that showed an alarming pattern.
During one raid, nine Afghan men were killed, but only three weapons were recovered. The officer also heard that soldiers had been boasting during training about killing all fighting-age males during operations, irrespective of what threat they posed.
The whistleblower...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Support us by becoming a premium member or sharin...