A public inquiry into alleged war crimes has revealed that UK Special Forces (UKSF) soldiers in Afghanistan operated with a “golden pass” that allowed them to evade accountability for murder, according to a report
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Picture dated 1997 shows British snipers in full camouflage on a patrol in an undisclosed location. AFP File
A public inquiry into alleged war crimes has revealed that UK Special Forces (UKSF) soldiers in Afghanistan operated with a “golden pass” that allowed them to evade accountability for murder.
According to an Independent report_,_ the evidence, provided by seven witnesses from UK special forces, was published on Wednesday as part of a release of material summarising the content of secret hearings.
The inquiry, which opened in March but has now started substantive hearings at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, is investigating accusations about the special forces’ conduct in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.
It is examining so-called deliberate detention operations during that period and how allegations of unlawful killings were investigated by Britain’s military police, in particular whether there were any cover-ups.
The independent inquiry follows legal challenges by the families of some of the dozens of people allegedly murdered by UK special forces during night raids.
It is set to hear submissions on behalf of the families of 33 people, including eight children, who were allegedly killed.
Testimony from an individual identified as N2107, who had access to operational reports regarding the SAS’s activities in Afghanistan in 2011, revealed his growing skepticism about the official accounts of Afghan fatalities.
According to the report, citing the witness, UK special forces (UKSF) in Afghanistan appeared “beyond reproach” and operated with a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder”.
Another witness, identified as N1799, testified to the inquiry that he believed an Special Air Service (SAS) unit had been executing “fighting age males” in Afghanistan. He alleged that the deceased Afghans were referred to dismissively as having been “flat packed.”
In his statement, N1799 recounted being informed by a soldier from the unit that a pillow was placed over the head of an individual before they were shot with a pistol.
“It was implied that photos would be taken of the deceased alongside weapons that the ‘fighting age male’ may not have had in their position when they were killed,” Independent quoted the witness as saying.
The whistleblower informed Oliver Glasgow, the inquiry’s counsel, that leaving a discarded weapon beside a dead p