UK special forces resigning en masse over war crimes probe – media

Soldiers are reportedly resigning as an inquiry examines alleged killings of civilians and cover-ups during operations in Afghanistan and Syria

Soldiers from the UK’s elite SAS force are resigning in significant numbers over fears of prosecution following human rights investigations into alleged war crimes, British media reports.

The probe largely focuses on British special forces operations in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013, as well as missions in Syria and Northern Ireland.

A public inquiry is examining claims that troops carried out extrajudicial killings during night raids, including the shooting of detainees and unarmed civilians, and whether evidence was falsified and senior officers failed to investigate or concealed wrongdoing.

Members of 22 SAS, the British Army’s elite special forces unit, have applied for “premature voluntary release,” multiple outlets reported on Monday, citing insiders. The exact number of departures has not been disclosed, though at least two squadrons (D and G) are understood to have been affected.

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“Morale is s**t at the moment,” one insider was quoted as saying. Another source described “considerable disquiet” within the regiment.

Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams told LBC radio on Tuesday the growing number of departures from 22 SAS was driven by concerns among serving troops that actions during operations could later lead to investigations or potential arrest under human rights law.

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Last month, it was revealed that 242 special forces troops, including 120 serving personnel, were being pursued by lawyers as part of human rights inquiries, according to a memo shared with SAS and Special Reconnaissance Regiment associations. The investigation, which some within the regiment have labeled a “witch hunt,” examines UK secret operations, with troops facing legal sanctions if they fail to comply, the memo said.

In 2022, a BBC Panorama investigation identified 54 people shot dead in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit during a six-month tour of Helmand province, with unarmed Afghan men allegedly “routinely shot dead in cold blood” and weapons planted on them.

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An inquiry heard in December that the director of UK Special Forces made a “conscious decision” to cover up potential war crimes in Afghanistan, according to the Morning Star. A UKSF officer identified as N1466 said the director “knew what was happening on the ground” and sought to “cover this up.”

In one incident presented to the inquiry, special forces fired into a mosquito net until there was no movement, only to later find women and children, according to inquiry documents. The shooting was allegedly covered up and the soldier awarded.

A review prepared for the inquiry found a Royal Military Police investigation into alleged unlawful killings was undermined by delays and poor resourcing, according to Action on Armed Violence. Operation Northmoor, the main investigation, began only in March 2014 despite concerns emerging as early as 2011, and was closed in July 2019 in what the review described as an “inappropriate and premature” decision, leaving key lines of inquiry unexamined.