The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken the extraordinary step of accusing the BBC of partaking in “irresponsible, incorrect” journalism hours earlier than a Panorama documentary that can accuse SAS troopers of killing Afghan civilians in chilly blood.
The product of a four-year investigation, the programme, because of be broadcast on BBC One on Tuesday night time, concludes that 54 folks have been killed in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit in Helmand province between 2010 and 2011.
Primarily based on official British recordsdata, the BBC mentioned there was a sample of “strikingly comparable stories” of SAS operations referred to as kill/seize missions, during which an Afghan man or males have been shot lifeless by the elite troopers on night time raids.
Male detainees have been continuously taken away from captured household teams and shot lifeless after they have been mentioned to have unexpectedly produced a hand grenade or an AK47 rifle, prompting the programme to ask whether or not the actions of the SAS squads amounted to a “British warfare crime”.
Considerations have been raised concerning the sample on the time, with inner emails describing one incident because the “newest bloodbath”, prompting a senior particular forces officer to warn in a secret memo that there could possibly be a “deliberate coverage” of illegal killing in operation.
However earlier than the programme was broadcast, the MoD warned it may put British troopers in danger as a result of it “jumps to unjustified conclusions” from allegations that the division mentioned had been topic to 2 investigations by navy police, which resulted in no prosecutions.
“Neither investigation discovered ample proof to prosecute. Insinuating in any other case is irresponsible, incorrect and places our courageous armed forces personnel in danger, each within the discipline and reputationally,” the MoD mentioned.
In 2014, navy police launched Operation Northmoor, an investigation into allegations of greater than 600 alleged offences by British forces in Afghanistan, together with the killing of civilians by the SAS. It was wound down in 2017 and closed in 2019, and the MoD mentioned no proof of criminality was discovered.
The recordsdata obtained by the BBC associated to police investigations, and the broadcaster mentioned members of the Northmoor workforce disputed the conclusion reached by the MoD that there was no case to reply.
A kind of killed was a former district governor, Haji Ibrahim, who had labored with the British. The SAS report of occasions on the night time of 29-30 November 2010 states that Ibrahim was detained, then despatched to assist with a search at a constructing – the place he was shot lifeless “when he demonstrated hostile intent by brandishing a hand grenade”.
Nonetheless, his household instructed the BBC that his fingers have been sure and he was summarily killed. His son described having to take away plastic handcuffs from his father’s wrists earlier than the household have been capable of bury his physique.
Related incidents have been famous by the BBC to have taken place on 15 January, 7 and 16 February, and 1 April 2011.
Sources instructed the BBC that SAS models competed with one another to attain essentially the most kills on tour and the unit on the coronary heart of the investigation was attempting to attain the next physique depend than its predecessor.
In response to one of many incident stories, a sceptical operations officer emailed a colleague to explain what he had been instructed. An Afghan man who was killed had “grabbed a grenade from behind a curtain” – however the explosive didn’t go off, which was “the eighth time this has occurred”. Writing the ultimate three phrases in capitals, he mentioned: “You couldn’t make it up.”
Labour mentioned the allegations have been disturbing and solid “a darkish shadow” over the popularity of Britain’s armed forces. The celebration referred to as on ministers to supply a full clarification to MPs.
John Healey, the shadow defence secretary, mentioned his counterpart Ben Wallace “should urgently clarify to parliament what motion he’ll take to confirm any reality to those claims and any potential cover-up”.
Ministers have sought to attract a line beneath historic prosecutions of members of the armed forces, after accusations that regulation corporations have sought to deliver vexatious circumstances towards the navy.
The Abroad Operations Act 2021 had sought to introduce a statutory presumption towards prosecution of British troopers for occasions that had taken place 5 or extra years earlier. However through the passage of the laws by means of parliament, ministers conceded that warfare crimes can be among the many offences excluded from the five-year restrict.
The MoD mentioned it was keen to ponder reopening the investigations. “The Ministry of Defence after all stands open to contemplating any new proof, there can be no obstruction. However within the absence of this, we strongly object to this subjective reporting,” a spokesperson mentioned.
Australian particular forces have been concerned within the alleged murders of 39 Afghan civilians, killing prisoners to “blood” junior troopers earlier than inventing cowl tales and planting weapons on our bodies, a judge-led inquiry concluded in 2020.
Nonetheless, the Australians served in a unique Afghan province and the MoD mentioned no British personnel have been individuals of curiosity to that inquiry.
