Ex-British officer tells inquiry UK forces may have committed war crimes in Afghanistan

A former senior British military officer has told a public inquiry that members of the United Kingdom’s special forces appeared to carry out unlawful killings during operations in Afghanistan—and that concerns were widely known within the chain of command but went unaddressed.

The inquiry, ordered by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), was launched after a BBC investigation alleged that soldiers from the Special Air Service (SAS) killed 54 people during night raids more than a decade ago under suspicious circumstances.

The probe is examining special forces operations between mid-2010 and mid-2013, when British troops were part of the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Military police previously conducted several investigations into misconduct allegations involving UK forces, including the SAS, but the MoD has said no inquiry produced enough evidence for criminal charges.

The current inquiry is tasked with determining whether credible information existed about extra-judicial killings, whether earlier military police investigations were properly conducted, and whether any wrongdoing was concealed.

The inquiry’s chair, senior judge Charles Haddon-Cave, has said it is essential that individuals who broke the law be held accountable, while those who acted lawfully should have their reputations cleared.

Officer Says Pattern of Killings Raised Red Flags

Among the latest testimony is evidence from an officer identified as N1466, who in 2011 served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations at UK Special Forces Headquarters. Speaking in private testimony made public on December 1, he said he had grown alarmed by the number of detainees reported killed during operations by a sub-unit known as UKSF1.

After analysing operational reports, he noticed that the number of people classified as “enemies killed in action” often exceeded the number of weapons recovered. He said repeated claims that detainees tried to grab guns or grenades after being detained appeared implausible.

“I will be clear: we are talking about war crimes,” he told Oliver Glasgow, the inquiry’s lead counsel. “We are talking about taking detainees back on target and executing them under the pretence that they posed a threat.”

N1466 said he raised the issue with the Director of Special Forces, identified as 1802, but instead of pursuing potential criminal action, the response was limited to a review of operational tactics. He acknowledged regretting that he did not alert military police at the time, though he eventually reported his concerns in 2015.

“I was deeply troubled by what I strongly suspected was the unlawful killing of innocent people, including children,” he said, adding that he believed the problem was not limited to one sub-unit but “potentially more widespread” and known among many in the special forces community.

Other Concerns Highlighted Inside UK Forces

The inquiry has also heard from former officers and a Ministry of Defence official who described frustration among soldiers that detainees captured during intelligence-led missions were often released within days because Afghanistan’s judicial system was overwhelmed.

Testimony also pointed to intense rivalry between special forces sub-units, including UKSF1 and UKSF3—where N1466 served—which some witnesses suggested contributed to internal tensions.

Anticipating criticism from within the special forces community, N1466 told the inquiry he acted out of principle, not resentment. “We didn’t join UKSF for this sort of behaviour—toddlers being shot in their beds or random killing,” he said. “It’s not special, it’s not elite, it’s not what we stand for.”