The Ministry of Defense stressed that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute.
A commando unit of the Special Air Service (SAS) of British special forces killed at least 54 people under suspicious circumstances, in events covered up by the British military hierarchy, according to BBC investigation which aired today.
Unarmed Afghan men were killed “in cold blood” by the SAS during night raids between November 2010 and May 2011, and weapons were then placed on their bodies to justify the crimes, the BBC reports after a four-year investigation.
Senior officers, including General Mark Carleton Smith, who headed Britain’s special forces at the time, were aware of concerns about these operations within the SAS but did not inform the military, according to the BBC.
Under UK law governing the armed forces, it is a criminal offense for a commander not to inform the constabulary if he has knowledge of potential war crimesnotes the BBC.
Carleton Smith, who retired last month after commanding the entire British army, declined to comment to the BBC. The British network’s investigation is based on court documents, leaked emails and the field work of its journalists in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Defense stressed that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute. “No new evidence has come forward, but police will investigate any allegations if new evidence comes to light.”he said in a statement to the BBC.
The BBC investigation identified 54 people who were shot and killed in suspicious circumstances by an SAS unit between November 2010 and May 2011 in Helmand province.
“Too many people were killed in night raids and the explanations don’t make sense. When someone is detained, they cannot end up being killed.”a military officer told the BBC. “It was clear at that point that something was wrong.”
Many raised warnings, according to the BBC, but the commandos were cleared to complete their mission and even deployed for another mission in 2012.
In 2014, the Royal Military Police (RMP) launched an investigation into more than 600 alleged offences committed by British forces in Afghanistan, including the SAS.
Investigators told the BBC they had been “obstructed” by the military and the investigation ended in 2019.
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