Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Investigation launched into claims SAS troops killed 54 civilians in Afghanistan

Investigation launched into claims SAS troops killed 54 civilians in Afghanistan

British ministers have announced a statutory judge-led inquiry into allegations that crack soldiers from the UK’s Special Air Service were involved in up to 54 killings of civilians in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.
The probe into claims of summary executions carried out by members of the SAS special forces unit comes after years of reports about British troops allegedly killing civilians in cold blood.

In a statement to the British House of Commons, Minister for Defense People Andrew Murrison said the Ministry of Defense would concede to longstanding demands for an “independent statutory inquiry” after years of dismissing the idea, The Guardian reported on Thursday.

The investigation will cover the period from mid-2010 to mid-2013.

Murrison added that Lord Justice Haddon-Cave would head the inquiry and that work would start “in earnest in 2023.”

Haddon-Cave will stand down from his job as senior presiding judge for England and Wales to focus on the task, according to The Guardian.

The announcement follows allegations that Afghans were killed in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit in Helmand province, and that their deaths amounted to war crimes.

British Shadow Defense Secretary John Healey said: “This special inquiry is welcome and must succeed. It is essential to protect the reputation of our British special forces, guarantee the integrity of military investigations, and secure justice for any of those affected.”

According to a high court case brought by law firm Leigh Day on behalf Afghan national, Saifullah, the man’s father, two brothers, and a cousin were killed during an SAS raid on a compound in southern Afghanistan in February 2011.

Court evidence indicated that Afghan men detained on SAS night raids were often separated from their families and shot dead after they were said to have unexpectedly produced a hand grenade or an AK-47 rifle.

Saifullah’s legal team sought a judicial review, arguing that the MoD did not properly investigate allegations of unlawful activity and that Britain had breached its human rights obligations by not properly examining them.

Internal correspondence revealed that an SAS sergeant-major described the episode as “the latest massacre” in an email sent the following morning, after the report on a mission that led to the deaths of Saifullah’s family members was filed.

Concerns about SAS activity in Afghanistan have been circling around the MoD for years, but criminal investigations were closed three years ago without any prosecutions being brought.

In 2014, military police launched Operation Northmoor, an investigation into allegations of more than 600 offenses by British forces in Afghanistan, including the alleged killing of civilians by the SAS. It was wound down in 2017 and closed in 2019, and the MoD said no evidence of criminality was found.

In court proceedings in July relating to Saifullah’s case, Edward Craven, a lawyer representing the claimants, said the case “concerns alleged state wrongdoings of the most serious kind” and that there was “a pattern of extrajudicial killings, allegations of a cover-up, and allegations of a failure to properly investigate them.”

The court heard that a military police officer wrote that “political pressure” was applied in 2016 to narrow the focus of a military police investigation into allegations of summary killings by SAS soldiers to limit their inquiries to “tactical-level command responsibility.”

Lawyers said the inquiry’s task would not be to determine individuals’ criminal or civil liability, but instead to focus on whether Afghans were killed unlawfully and if there was a credible pattern of unlawful killings by the SAS. It may recommend that further criminal or civil investigations are necessary.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×