Inquiry hears SAS war crime allegations not referred to RMP due to operational concerns
In the spring of 2011, concerns began to grow within UK special forces (UKSF) headquarters that the SAS were involved in extra-judicial killings during the conflict in Afghanistan.
At the time, senior officers presented those concerns to the then Director of Special Forces, who chose not to refer them to the Royal Military Police (RMP), despite being under strict obligation to do so. Instead, he commissioned an internal review, which subsequently found no wrongdoing.
Now, a former chief of staff UKSF – the second-highest ranking in special forces at the time – has told a public inquiry that he believed allegations of war crimes were not referred to the military police over fears they could disrupt operations and place British lives at greater risk.
The testimony came from closed-door evidence to the independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan.
'We don't believe you'
The former chief of staff – known to the inquiry only as N2252 – told the inquiry that commanders, such as the director of UKSF, would have been aware that investigations could reduce the operational "tempo" of the unit.
At the time, the regiment was tasked with pursuing Taliban operatives and bomb-makers responsible for laying improvised explosive devices (IEDS).
He told the inquiry: "You would take the sub-unit out, you would conduct the investigation, and they would be thinking about the investigation and not on planning the next operation."
He added that commanders feared formally questioning soldiers' accounts could undermine trust within the unit.
"All these firers have produced statements saying that certain things have happened, and if the director had had an investigation… the message that will have gone back to them is 'we don’t believe you'."
He further emphasised that the disruption caused by investigations was "not measured in inconvenience".
"It is measured in removing the suppressive effect from the networks, which means that the more IEDs get produced, more bombs go off, and more British soldiers get killed and lose legs," he said.
Further evidence heard by the inquiry suggested that another factor in the decision not to report the allegations was the tension between UKSF1 – the sub-unit under scrutiny – and another unit, UKSF3, over operations conducted in Afghanistan.
In his witness statement, N2252 said UKSF3 was "not a disinterested party" because of friction over which unit should carry out a particular operational role.
He said UKSF3 regarded changes to their responsibilities as a "relegation" and recalled "a degree of sniping at UKSF1 over their conduct".
Further inquiry into RMP actions
The probe is also looking at whether there was an alleged cover-up of illegal activity and inadequate investigation by the RMP.
In 2014, the RMP launched an investigation – known as Operation Northmoor – into the 675 allegations of unlawful killings and abuse by UKSF in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. It was closed in 2019, and resulted in no prosecutions.
A further investigation conducted by the RMP – Operation Cestro – resulted in three soldiers being referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority, none of whom were prosecuted.
Related topics
Join Our Newsletter
