Amnesty International on Wednesday described the BBC’s findings of alleged war crimes by UK Special Forces in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011 as horrific and called for an urgent investigation.

In a statement issued by the global watchdog, Zaman Sultani, Amnesty International’s South Asia Researcher, said: “Amnesty International demands an effective and transparent investigation into the allegations made against the UK Special Forces in Afghanistan, that delivers justice for victims and holds the perpetrators accountable.”

“The BBC’s findings are horrifying, and clearly depict an alarming level of impunity and lack of accountability of UK troops who operated in Afghanistan.

“The BBC’s reporting outlines unlawful killings, including deliberate killing of individuals after they were detained, targeting of civilians and fabricating evidence to justify the killing of unarmed men, pointing to potential war crimes having been committed.”

He also said the suggestion that there’s been a high-level cover-up compounds the moral outrage and suggests an unwillingness on the part of the UK to pursue independent and effective investigations into the allegations.

Zaman said: “The UK is obligated to urgently commence investigations into all allegations of war crimes involving its Special Forces, and any UK nationals who are suspected of individual criminal responsibility must be brought to justice in UK courts.

“If the UK is unwilling to bring cases against its own military, as it has shamefully demonstrated in relation to war crimes committed by its forces in Iraq, the ICC should do so.”

Zaman pointed out however that while the International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened an investigation in Afghanistan the ICC has not initiated any investigations other then into the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

He said this was despite “harrowing reports of war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed in Afghanistan by western militaries”, adding that this has led to accusations of double standards in its approach.

‘This episode also underscores just how damaging any move to remove human rights protections and responsibility from troops operating overseas would be. The UK Government must step away from the reprehensible proposal to replace the Human Rights Act before any more damage is done.’

On Monday, the BBC released details of its investigation into alleged war crimes. The investigation found new evidence of scores of secret killings by the SAS, and efforts by some of the most senior figures in UK Special Forces to conceal evidence of war crimes.

The BBC identified 54 people shot dead in suspicious circumstances by one SAS unit during one six month tour of Afghanistan. The youngest was described as just 15 years old when he was killed.

BBC also discovered that senior officers, including General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith, failed to report the alleged murders and did not disclose the evidence held by UK Special Forces to the military police.