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An inquiry hears evidence that UK Special Forces heads suppressed potential war crime evidence involving the SAS in Afghanistan. A senior former officer, known as N1466, claims to have provided "explosive" evidence indicating "criminal behaviour" to the then-director of special forces in 2011, with the successor in 2012 also allegedly aware but failing to act.

 

N1466's testimony is crucial, as he is the highest-ranking officer to accuse leadership of suppressing allegations, which were not reported to the Royal Military Police as required by British law. These revelations come from closed-door sessions of an inquiry examining special forces' war crime accusations, ignited by BBC Panorama's reports of the suspicious killings of 54 individuals by the SAS during one tour. This inquiry has highlighted failures to report violations by notable figures like General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith and Lt Gen Jonathan Page.

 

N1466 stated that the problematic incidents began surfacing in February 2011, with suspicious SAS raid reports showing disproportionate killings and minimal enemy weapons recovery. His concerns grew from incidents like a night raid killing nine men but retrieving only three weapons, suggesting potential misconduct. Evidence showed bullet patterns indicated victims may have been shot while down, contradicting SAS reports.

 

His unease included whistleblower claims of SAS troopers boasting about indiscriminately killing all "fighting-age" males. These combined reports led N1466 to commission a review within special forces headquarters, yielding concerning results he presented to the director in 2011, warning of "strong potential of criminal behaviour." Despite knowing these responsibilities, leadership allegedly opted for an internal SAS review instead of police involvement, considered by N1466 as an attempt to cover up.

 

In 2015, N1466 finally reported to the Royal Military Police, four years after initially raising alarms, and regrets not doing so earlier, given that it might have prevented further unnecessary killings, including a raid in 2012 that resulted in fatalities without police reporting. In 2012, the director disputes N1466's claims and promises a comprehensive response to the inquiry, asserting that no evidence or concerns surfaced during his tenure.

 

The inquiry continues to probe these serious allegations amidst public and legal scrutiny, demonstrating that there must be thorough accountability in such grave matters, reported the BBC.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

Inquiry reveals UK SAS war crime evidence possibly suppressed by leadership.
N1466 testifies about ignored reports leading to unlawful killings.
Developments may impact SAS operational accountability and oversight.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-12-01

 

 

 

Soldiers are trained killers, pure and simple. Conscience and morality don't enter the brainwashed minds of those who blindly obey orders and 'serve' their country. Heroes? Not!

A BBC report so best not to ignore, but to treat with a degree of skeptisism. One wonders why these reports did not surface until years after the alleged events. 

The Independent Inquiry Relating to Afghanistan (2023–ongoing) paints a picture of institutional failures across the SAS (part of UK Special Forces), not just "bad apples."

Evidence from multiple whistleblowers, including high-ranking officers like N1466, points to widespread issues in operations from 2010–2013: ~80 alleged unlawful killings (e.g., executions of detainees, unarmed civilians, and children), flawed reporting (implausible kill ratios, planted weapons), and a deliberate cover-up by senior command to protect the unit's reputation.

 

This happened in a war zone.

The war-zone setting is why rules exist in the first place.

Combatants get killed in firefights — that’s lawful. Dragging them out of a room, handcuffing them, then shooting them in the head and dropping an AK beside the body is not “war”; it’s murder with extra steps.

That’s why generals allegedly buried it: they knew it crossed the line from hard fighting into criminal executions. The inquiry is now proving it wasn’t rogue individuals — it was tolerated (or ignored) from squadron level up to Director Special Forces.

 

If confirmed, expect reforms: Independent war crimes office, mandatory RMP reporting, ROE audits. Echoes Iraq's Baha Mousa scandal; could lead to 5–10 prosecutions, leadership purges, and £20M+ MoD payouts.

 

 

2 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Combatants get killed in firefights — that’s lawful. Dragging them out of a room, handcuffing them, then shooting them in the head and dropping an AK beside the body is not “war”; it’s murder with extra steps.

Same things happening with Israel and the USA, but there you're defending the actions. All should be held to account, unfortunately i think none will.

The Mau-Mau rebellion atrocities in the 1950s were covered up and evidence destroyed by the British government. Why would anyone be surprised it never stopped?

Much the same as the Oz SAS post-Afghan charges.

2 hours ago, Purdey said:

The Mau-Mau rebellion atrocities in the 1950s were covered up and evidence destroyed by the British government. Why would anyone be surprised it never stopped?

Not entirely true.  The severe beatings of a large number of Mau Mau suspects in a vain effort to force them to admit they were members of the organisation (resulting in the deaths of some of them) led to a censure motion in the House of Commons.

 

In an interview Labour M.P. Barbara Castle discussed this matter.  She was prominent in attacking the Conservative Government.  But she remarked that the most effective criticism of the government came from Enoch Powell, himself a Conservative.

 

Whatever his views, Powell, sometime professor of classical Greek at Sydney University, had his principles.

 

He would later come to be widely reviled, from both sides of the political spectrum, as a racist.  For his strong opposition to mass immigration.  Yet coloured members of his constituency said he always listened respectfully to their grievances and endeavoured to address them.

 

In a recorded interview of his earlier life, including the war years when he rose from private soldier to brigadier, he remarked in the most sincere manner "I have a deep love for the peoples of India."