UK special forces were given a 'golden pass' to escape murder charges, says officer
A government inquiry in London has revealed that SAS operatives frequently carried out the murder of prisoners in Afghanistan. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Military officials showed little interest in probing alleged war crimes by the SAS, an inquiry has revealed.
A former UK Special Forces officer stated during a government inquest that British SAS operatives were effectively granted a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder” in Afghanistan. Other testimonies pointed to a pattern of routine executions of unarmed civilians committed by British forces.
This officer's testimony, provided in a closed session to the UK’s Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan earlier this year, was included in a large batch of documents made public by the inquiry on Tuesday.
He voiced concerns about the killings of unarmed civilians in 2011, alleging that SAS operatives were being protected from scrutiny to cover up these offenses. According to the officer, leadership within UK Special Forces—which includes the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, and four other covert units—showed no willingness to investigate these incidents, allowing SAS personnel to operate with impunity.
The Afghanistan Inquiry is examining night raids conducted by British special forces from 2010 to 2013, during which these alleged incidents occurred.
A junior officer emphasized that “all fighting age males” were targeted during these operations, irrespective of whether they were armed. It was noted that SAS troops occasionally planted weapons beside deceased individuals to portray them as combatants after the fact.
Prisoners were reported to have been executed even after they were restrained. One witness recounted a specific incident where “a pillow was put over the head of an individual before being killed with a pistol,” as detailed in the documents.
The inquiry is assessing the killings of at least 80 detainees.
”I suppose what shocked me most wasn’t the execution of potential members of the Taliban, which was of course wrong and illegal, but it was more the age and the methods and, you know, the details of things like pillows,” remarked the officer, who noted that some victims were “100%” aged 16 or younger.
The officer expressed fear for his own safety following his testimony.
”Basically, there appears to be a culture there of ‘shut up, don't question’,” another officer reiterated during the inquiry.
Previous claims of war crimes by British special forces in Afghanistan have come to light, with investigations by BBC Panorama, the Sunday Times, and others reporting that civilians were routinely killed during night operations. In a particular incident, it was claimed that the American military had video evidence of a massacre, but that footage was reportedly lost before a British court could examine it.
In recent months, a BBC report disclosed that one of the UK's top generals had withheld crucial evidence from the latest inquiry concerning soldiers executing handcuffed detainees in Afghanistan.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
A former UK Special Forces officer stated during a government inquest that British SAS operatives were effectively granted a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder” in Afghanistan. Other testimonies pointed to a pattern of routine executions of unarmed civilians committed by British forces.
This officer's testimony, provided in a closed session to the UK’s Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan earlier this year, was included in a large batch of documents made public by the inquiry on Tuesday.
He voiced concerns about the killings of unarmed civilians in 2011, alleging that SAS operatives were being protected from scrutiny to cover up these offenses. According to the officer, leadership within UK Special Forces—which includes the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, and four other covert units—showed no willingness to investigate these incidents, allowing SAS personnel to operate with impunity.
The Afghanistan Inquiry is examining night raids conducted by British special forces from 2010 to 2013, during which these alleged incidents occurred.
A junior officer emphasized that “all fighting age males” were targeted during these operations, irrespective of whether they were armed. It was noted that SAS troops occasionally planted weapons beside deceased individuals to portray them as combatants after the fact.
Prisoners were reported to have been executed even after they were restrained. One witness recounted a specific incident where “a pillow was put over the head of an individual before being killed with a pistol,” as detailed in the documents.
The inquiry is assessing the killings of at least 80 detainees.
”I suppose what shocked me most wasn’t the execution of potential members of the Taliban, which was of course wrong and illegal, but it was more the age and the methods and, you know, the details of things like pillows,” remarked the officer, who noted that some victims were “100%” aged 16 or younger.
The officer expressed fear for his own safety following his testimony.
”Basically, there appears to be a culture there of ‘shut up, don't question’,” another officer reiterated during the inquiry.
Previous claims of war crimes by British special forces in Afghanistan have come to light, with investigations by BBC Panorama, the Sunday Times, and others reporting that civilians were routinely killed during night operations. In a particular incident, it was claimed that the American military had video evidence of a massacre, but that footage was reportedly lost before a British court could examine it.
In recent months, a BBC report disclosed that one of the UK's top generals had withheld crucial evidence from the latest inquiry concerning soldiers executing handcuffed detainees in Afghanistan.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
