Fresh allegations against British special forces have emerged at the Afghanistan Inquiry, with whistleblowers claiming prisoners were dropped from forklifts "for fun" and describing the atmosphere at one military base as so extreme it resembled Lord of the Flies. The explosive testimony has added new scrutiny to alleged war crimes committed by British troops during operations in Afghanistan. The inquiry also heard claims that a British Army reservist was branded a "Taliban-loving apologist" after questioning the deaths of three Afghan farmers during a night raid. The allegations relate to incidents between 2010 and 2013 and were revealed through redacted records of evidence given behind closed doors. Christopher Green, who served as an information operations officer between January and September 2012, said he was responsible for engaging with local communities and promoting support for the Western mission in Afghanistan. His concerns centred on a raid in the village of Rahim, where three brothers working as farmers were shot dead by UK special forces. Mr Green told the inquiry he was informed the operation had gone wrong but that the killings were lawful acts of self-defence. However, he said intelligence available to his unit suggested there was "nothing to suggest" the brothers were Taliban commanders and that they appeared to be ordinary farmers. When he challenged a UK Special Forces liaison officer about the incident, he said the response was hostile. According to Mr Green, the officer accused him of being a "Taliban-loving apologist" for questioning the actions of the SAS. Despite holding the necessary security clearance, Mr Green said he was refused access to body-worn camera footage of the raid. He also pointed to a £3,634 "assistance payment" made by the UK government to the brothers' mother, Bebe Hazrata, saying he viewed the payment as highly unusual and believed it amounted to an admission that the wrong people had been killed. He told inquiry chairman Lord Justice Haddon-Cave that his initial belief had been that the soldiers had simply targeted the wrong people. Over time, however, he came to believe the actions had also been unlawful. Further disturbing claims came from Monica Grenfell, who worked with UK Special Forces as a kitchen staff member and store woman between 2015 and 2018. She recalled a soldier allegedly boasting that detainees were placed on forklifts, lifted into the air and driven at speed before the brakes were slammed on so they would fall off. Ms Grenfell said she was "appalled" that the soldier described the alleged abuse as amusing. She told the inquiry it was not presented as an isolated act but as something carried out "for fun". She painted a grim picture of life at the base, describing the environment as "coarse and feral". She said personnel appeared to behave as though they had been "let off the leash", adding that another colleague compared the atmosphere to Lord of the Flies because people seemed to have "gone wild". The inquiry also heard allegations of constant sexual banter and is examining whether illegal activity was subsequently covered up and inadequately investigated by the Royal Military Police. Previous investigations, including Operation Northmoor and Operation Cestro, resulted in no prosecutions despite referrals to the Service Prosecuting Authority. The Ministry of Defence said it remained fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry, thanked current and former defence staff who had given evidence, and said it would allow the inquiry to complete its work before responding in full. The inquiry is continuing. 'Feral' British troops 'dropped Afghan prisoners from forklifts for fun', whistleblower claims
