Afghan inquiry calls for urgent hearing after MOD discovers 97 million related documents

The chair of the Afghan inquiry into allegations that British Special Forces murdered unarmed Afghan civilians has called for an urgent public hearing on Friday after the Ministry of Defence announced that 97 million related documents have been discovered.

Calling the late appearance "troubling and regrettable", Lord Justice Sir Charles Haddon-Cave said the documents have the capacity to delay the inquiry if not "rapidly" addressed.

The investigation has already come under scrutiny for failing to produce a report in more than three years, despite Lord Justice Haddon-Cave saying it would aim to report within the first 12 to 18 months.

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In a statement, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave called the hearing for 10:30 on Friday 25 September.

He also laid out four 'reassurances' he hoped to gain from the hearing, which are:

• The quick identification of any truly relevant material
• That the identification of relevant material does not impact the MOD's ability to respond to ongoing inquiry workstreams
• That this failure by the MOD to respond to important correspondence was an isolated incident and will not be repeated
• That steps will be taken to ensure no similar revelations during the remainder of the inquiry

The inquiry has been ongoing since 2023 and is investigating allegations of unlawful killings by British soldiers in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.