The Special Forces of UK have been the subject of war crimes investigation, as confirmed for the first time by the Ministry of Defense.
The MoD gave up on its attempt to limit discussion of the Special Forces’ involvement in war crimes in Afghanistan. Members of bereaved family members, as well as some section of the media, have criticized the MoD’s position.
The inquiry comes after years of coverage on purported SAS illegal assassinations. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement before a session of an independent investigation into Afghanistan that, “the inquiry is now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK Special Forces.”
The MoD’s prior position has been defeated by the ministry’s decision to verify that, Special Forces troops had been involved in the activities under investigation. Mr. Wallace stated that, the Special Forces involvement was confirmed only “in the exceptional circumstances of this inquiry.”
“Outside of this very specific context, such confirmation should not be seen to alter the longstanding position of this government, and previous governments, to not comment on the deployment or activities of the UK Special Forces.”
Ben Wallace, Defense Secretary of UK.
The Ministry of Defense previously maintained that, the inquiry should not allow “any evidence or documents or words or passages of documents, that tend to confirm or deny the alleged involvement of United Kingdom Special Forces in the operations that are to be investigated” from the public.
However, attorneys of the Defense Ministry wrote to the committee that, the ministry “proposed to abandon that part of their application.”
The decision was reversed, and announced at the session. This allows for open discussion and public reporting of proof of UK Special Forces participation in the purported criminal executions in Afghanistan.
Notwithstanding, one SAS unit that was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011 murdered 54 people under suspicious conditions, during a single six-month deployment, according to evidence.
Additional report unearthed some particular incidents, that raised concerns at the most senior levels of the UK Special Forces, notably a 2012 operations, where a different unit neutralized two parents and seriously injured their children.
However, the MoD continued to pursue its proposal that, all Special Forces soldiers that partook in Afghanistan missions, be permanently guaranteed confidentiality, and that all witness testimony on those operations be heard in closed sessions, away from both the bereaved families and the general public.
In addition, the MoD’s attorney, Brian Altman QC, averred that, the department intends to maintain its “neither confirm nor deny” policy in regards to identifying specific UK Special Forces units or sub-units, arguing that, doing so would endanger future capacity and operations.
According to attorneys for the families of Afghans murdered, the MoD’s proposed broad limitations are “unjustifiable and seriously damaging to the credibility of the inquiry.”
Tessa Gregory, lawyer for the families claimed that, family members have endured “years of cover up and obfuscation” and remained worried even as the probe commenced, the Ministry of Defense was “seeking to shut the door on them and prevent evidence being heard in public.”
“The bereaved families now put their trust in the inquiry to uncover the truth,” Ms Gregory said.
Abiding with the 2005 Inquiries Act, Lord Justice Haddon Cave stated that, “as much as possible should be heard in public to allay public concerns about the subject matter of the inquiry.”
However, the chair conceded that, due to worries over national security, certain evidences would be presented in private hearings. “The essential task is to balance competing considerations in the public interest,” he explained.
“It is not appropriate for the MoD to comment on cases which are within the scope of the Statutory Inquiry and it is up to the Statutory Inquiry Team, led by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, to determine which allegations are investigated.”
Ministry of Defense Spokesman.
