UK Special Forces Accused of Unlawful Killings and Cover-Up in Afghanistan
An independent inquiry has heard allegations that the former director of UK special forces and other senior military officers attempted to suppress concerns regarding unlawful killings carried out by Special Air Service (SAS) units in Afghanistan. The claims, stemming from a whistleblower’s testimony, detail a pattern of extrajudicial shootings, including the deaths of children, and a concerted effort to conceal the extent of the alleged misconduct.
A senior special forces whistleblower, identified only as N1466, stated that the chain of command failed to act on warnings about the killings, which began surfacing as early as February 2011. This inaction, according to the testimony, allowed the alleged unlawful activity to continue for at least two more years, until 2013. The inquiry, launched in 2023 and led by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, is investigating claims that approximately 80 people were summarily executed by members of three different British SAS units during operations in Afghanistan.
According to newly released transcripts of evidence given in secret last year, N1466 asserted, “We could have stopped it in February 2011.” He continued, stating that deaths occurring after that point – including the shooting of two toddlers in their beds alongside their parents – “would not necessarily have come to pass if that had been stopped.”
The whistleblower’s allegations appear to reference the severe injuries sustained by Imran and Bilal, the children of Hussain Uzbakzai and his wife, Ruqquia Haleem. The children were allegedly shot while sleeping in their home during a night raid in the village of Shesh Aba in Nimruz province in 2012. Both of their parents were killed in the same incident. Speaking to the inquiry in 2023, the children’s uncle, Aziz, pleaded for justice, stating, “Even to this day, they are grieving the incident that happened to us… We are asking for the court to listen to these children and bring justice.”
N1466 further alleged that the then-director of special forces actively sought to suppress information about the alleged criminality, describing a “conscious decision” to “cover this up and do a little fake exercise to make it look like he’s done something.” The whistleblower claimed the director ordered a review of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) not to address genuine issues, but rather to deflect external scrutiny. “It was blatantly clear from the statistics and the patterns that there was something wrong here… I believe he knew it wasn’t… a problem with the TTP,” N1466 stated. “The root problem was the intent [to kill].”
Upon returning to the special forces in 2014 after a period away, N1466 discovered evidence that the killings had not ceased. A summary of his evidence revealed that the unlawful activity “had carried on at least into 2013,” a finding he described as “quite shocking.” When he reported his concerns to military police in 2015, N1466 expressed his disillusionment, stating he was “part of an organisation which allowed rogue elements to act as they did outside the law.”
The whistleblower recounted a specific incident where special forces operatives allegedly shot at a mosquito net until movement ceased, only to discover women and children underneath. He claimed this incident, like others, was covered up, and the perpetrator was even rewarded “to make it look legitimate.” N1466 also expressed regret for not reporting his suspicions to the serious investigations branch in 2011, explaining he had “lost all faith that the chain of command would be minded to support a transparent and accountable investigation.”
N1466 testified that numerous individuals sought to suppress the truth, and he was “surprised” and “disappointed” that a special forces lawyer did not recommend reporting the concerns to the special investigations branch. His review of SAS raid accounts revealed a disturbing trend: a significant increase in the ratio of killings to recovered weapons. In one instance, nine Afghans were killed with only three rifles recovered. He also cited instances of detainees being deliberately taken along on raids and subsequently executed under the pretense of engaging the forces.
“We are talking about war crimes… taking detainees back on target and executing them, with the pretence being that they conducted violence against the forces… As detainees, UKSF owed a duty of care to them under the Geneva conventions,” N1466 stated. He also raised concerns about the potential planting of weapons on victims and photographic evidence suggesting victims were shot at close range, even while sleeping.
N1466 emphasized the detrimental impact of these alleged actions, stating he was “deeply troubled by what I strongly suspected was the unlawful killing of innocent people, including children, and that the success of the whole campaign with the heavy investment of lives lost by UK and Afghan forces was being jeopardised by these killings.” He characterized the alleged killings as a “stain” on the reputation of the special forces and the sacrifices made by others.
“We didn’t join UKSF for this sort of behaviour – toddlers to get shot in their beds or random killing,” N1466 concluded. “It’s not special, it’s not elite, it’s not what we stand for and most of us, I don’t believe, would either wish to condone it or to cover it up.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated the government is “fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan” and “hugely grateful to all former and current defence employees who have so far given evidence.” The spokesperson added that the Ministry remains “committed to providing the support that our special forces deserve, whilst maintaining the transparency and accountability that the British people rightly expect from their armed forces,” and that it is appropriate to await the inquiry’s findings before offering further comment.
