SAS had golden pass to get away with murder, inquiry told

A erstwhile elder UK Special Forces serviceman has told a nationalist enquiry into alleged warfare crimes successful Afghanistan that the SAS had a "golden walk allowing them to get distant with murder".

The accusation was published by the Afghanistan Inquiry connected Wednesday arsenic portion of a merchandise of worldly summarising 7 closed hearings with members of UK Special Forces.

The officer, a erstwhile operations main of unit for the Special Boat Service (SBS) - the UK's naval peculiar forces - was 1 of respective elder members of the portion who registered concerns backmost successful 2011 that the SAS appeared to beryllium carrying retired executions and covering them up.

In 1 email from the time, the serviceman wrote that the SAS and execution were "regular bedfellows" and described the regiment's authoritative descriptions of operational killings arsenic "quite incredible".

Asked by the enquiry during the closed hearings whether helium stood by his assertion that the SAS's actions amounted to murder, the serviceman replied: "Indeed."

Pressed by the enquiry counsel astir his determination not to study his concerns further up the concatenation of bid successful 2011, helium said helium regretted his deficiency of enactment astatine the time. He agreed that determination had been a "massive nonaccomplishment of leadership" by UK Special Forces.

The erstwhile SBS operations main of unit was 1 of respective elder officers from the Royal Navy's peculiar forces portion who gave grounds to the enquiry down closed doors successful 2024.

The inquiry, which is examining nighttime raids by UKSF betwixt 2010 and 2013, follows years of reporting by BBC Panorama into allegations of execution and screen up by the SAS.

Only the enquiry squad and representatives from the Ministry of Defence person been allowed to be the closed hearings. The public, members of the media, and lawyers for the bereaved families are not allowed to beryllium present.

The worldly released connected Wednesday summarises the grounds from these hearings. Taken together, the documents – totalling hundreds of pages – overgarment a representation of the SAS's accomplishment successful Afghanistan successful 2009 and the mode successful which it took implicit hunting the Taliban from the SBS.

Senior SBS officers told the enquiry of heavy concerns that the SAS, caller from aggressive, high-tempo operations successful Iraq, was being driven by termination counts – the fig of dormant they could execute successful each operation.

Another elder SBS serviceman who gave grounds was asked whether helium stood by his concerns successful 2011 that the SAS was carrying retired extra-judicial killings.

"I thought and deliberation that connected astatine slightest immoderate operations [the SAS] was carrying retired murders," helium said.

A inferior SBS serviceman who besides gave grounds to the enquiry down closed doors described a speech successful which a subordinate of the SAS who had precocious returned from Afghanistan told him astir a pillow being enactment implicit the caput of idiosyncratic earlier they were killed with a pistol.

"I accidental what shocked maine astir wasn't the execution of imaginable members of the Taliban, which was of people incorrect and illegal, but it was much the property and the methods and, you know, the details of things similar pillows," the inferior serviceman said.

He clarified that immoderate of those killed by the SAS had been children, according to the speech helium relayed. Asked by the enquiry counsel if helium meant immoderate of those killed would beryllium arsenic young arsenic 16, helium replied: "Or younger 100%".

The inferior serviceman told the enquiry that helium feared for his information should his sanction beryllium linked to grounds that the SAS had been allegedly murdering civilians.

These SBS officers were portion of a tiny radical that was privately raising doubts backmost successful 2011 astir the veracity of SAS operational reports coming backmost from Afghanistan.

In 1 email, 1 of the elder officers, who held a station astatine the SBS office successful Poole astatine the time, wrote to a elder colleague: "If we don't judge this, past nary 1 other volition and erstwhile the adjacent WikiLeaks occurs past we volition beryllium dragged down with them."

The 2 elder officers were successful a presumption to construe the connection successful the regiment's reports, having served with SBS operational units successful Afghanistan anterior to the accomplishment of the SAS, erstwhile the naval portion was forced to instrumentality what it saw arsenic a backmost seat, pursuing anti-narcotics operations alternatively than hunting the Taliban.

As good arsenic believing that the SAS whitethorn person committed murders, they described successful their emails what they viewed arsenic a cover-up successful Afghanistan. The 2nd serviceman told the enquiry chair: "Basically, determination appears to beryllium a civilization determination of 'shut up, don't question'."

At the time, enactment unit successful Afghanistan were sceptical astir the SAS's accounts of their operations, judging them not credible.

But alternatively than taking the concerns seriously, a reprimand had been issued "to guarantee that the unit officers enactment the guys connected the ground", different elder SBS serviceman wrote.

He told the enquiry that successful the eyes of the Special Forces' commanding serviceman successful Afghanistan, the SAS could bash nary wrong, and described the deficiency of accountability for the regiment arsenic "astonishing".

The documents released connected Wednesday besides uncover caller details astir an explosive gathering successful Afghanistan successful February 2011, during which the Afghan peculiar forces that partnered the SAS angrily withdrew their support.

The gathering followed a increasing rift betwixt the SAS and the Afghan peculiar forces implicit what the Afghans saw arsenic unlawful killings by members of the SAS.

One Afghan serviceman contiguous astatine the gathering was truthful incensed that helium reportedly reached for his pistol.

Describing the gathering successful a recently released email, the SBS serviceman wrote: "I've ne'er had specified a hostile gathering earlier – genuine shouting, limb waving and with maine staring down a 9mm tube astatine 1 signifier – each beauteous unpleasant."

After involution from elder members of UKSF, the Afghan units agreed to proceed to moving alongside the SAS. But it would not beryllium the past clip they withdrew their enactment successful protest.

"This is each precise damaging," the SBS serviceman concluded his email.

Additional reporting by Conor McCann