Not simple, but I need to put this right: Defence Secretary on legal cloud hanging over UKSF

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has acknowledged the mounting pressures facing UK Special Forces (UKSF) amid ongoing legal scrutiny, as he attended his first Remembrance Sunday service since taking up the role.

Asked by BFBS Forces News what he promises service personnel to meet the challenges ahead, Mr Streeting pointed to members of UKSF whose service often goes "unseen and unsung." 

"Today, they live under a cloud, worrying about whether they are going to be persecuted rather than thanked for their service," he said.

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"Those are things I need to put right – there's going to be a process; it's not simple."

"But on days like today [Remembrance Sunday], they galvanise me, and they galvanise the entire government around our responsibility and our duty to stand by our armed forces, by our veterans and their families."

Acknowledging there was "much more to do", the defence secretary said he was looking forward to working closely with the Armed Forces community to "make good on the commitment that we owe them".

Alleged SAS executions and claims of a cover-up 

Mr Streeting's words echo the growing unrest and anxiety among UKSF members, following escalating waves of retroactive legal security. 

Central to this is the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan. 

Chaired by Lord Justice Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, the public inquiry is examining operations carried out by the Special Air Service (SAS) between mid-2010 and mid-2013. 

It is investigating allegations that SAS members executed men and children during detention raids, that unlawful conduct was concealed, and that military police subsequently failed to investigate properly.  

The inquiry could lead to further criminal investigations into the alleged killings and any cover-up. It can establish facts and recommend further action, but any prosecution would be separate.

Sunday Times investigation 

A recent report by the Sunday Times also revealed that five members of the SAS faced a three-year murder investigation after shooting two individuals – who later turned out to be teenagers working for ISIS – during a midnight raid in Syria in 2022.

It was reported that the soldiers claimed self-defence, saying they heard incoming fire and their shouts to the enemy to surrender were to no avail. 

An internal SAS review initially backed this conclusion.

However, this was overturned by Gwyn Jenkins, then director of special forces, because his soldiers had found no weapons on the dead and believed they may have used "disproportionate force." 

As a result, Operation Tanglement was launched by the Royal Military Police (RMP), an unprecedented inquiry which saw soldiers arrested at secret bases in Syria, Iraq and Britain, along with their homes raided.

The Sunday Times reported that just 48 hours after being interviewed in Britain, the SAS members were sent back to Syria to conduct more detention operations against ISIS.

After three years in limbo, the soldiers were cleared in May 2025, but were told the investigations could still be reopened at any time. 

The report also said that special forces members described the unique psychological pressures they faced, risking their lives while a murder probe looms over them. 

They added that the RMP's unfair and potentially unlawful conduct, coupled with a lack of support, has led to a crisis within the regiment, which is losing more experienced soldiers than ever before. 

The paper also revealed that Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is refusing to meet the soldiers, but has recently asked police to review complaints that have gone ignored.