SAS War Crimes Claims ‘Buried To Protect Morale’

SAS War Crimes Claims ‘Buried To Protect Morale’

Inquiry Hears Explosive Claims Over SAS Killings

Britain’s elite SAS regiment faces fresh scrutiny after a public inquiry heard allegations that senior commanders chose not to refer suspected war crimes to military police because they feared it would damage morale and disrupt operations in Afghanistan.

The extraordinary claims emerged from closed-door testimony released by the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, which is investigating allegations of unlawful killings by UK Special Forces between 2010 and 2013.

A former chief of staff of UK Special Forces told the inquiry that senior commanders believed launching a criminal investigation into the SAS would have slowed the tempo of operations against Taliban bomb-makers and insurgents during some of the bloodiest years of the war.

‘We Don’t Believe You’ Fear Inside UKSF

The officer, identified only as N2252, said commanders feared that questioning SAS accounts would send a damaging signal to troops on the ground.

“The message that will have gone back to them is ‘we don’t believe you’,” he told the inquiry.

Instead of alerting the Royal Military Police — which officers are legally required to do if they suspect war crimes — the then-head of UK Special Forces ordered an internal review.

That review reportedly lasted just one week and cleared the regiment of wrongdoing.

Critics say the investigation lacked independence because it was led by an officer closely linked to the SAS unit under suspicion and was signed off by the unit’s commanding officer.

Handcuffed Detainees ‘Shot Dead’

The inquiry has heard mounting evidence that alarm bells were ringing inside UK Special Forces headquarters during 2011.

Operational reports allegedly showed repeated incidents where detainees who had already been restrained and handcuffed later ended up dead during raids.

Other reports revealed a troubling mismatch between the number of people killed and the number of weapons recovered at scenes — a warning sign investigators say can indicate unlawful killings.

Senior officers were also reportedly informed about complaints from Afghan special forces, who at times refused to operate alongside the SAS because they believed civilians were being murdered.

An international monitoring organisation also raised concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings.

Officers Clash Over What They Knew

Another senior officer, known as N1788, insisted he had never heard allegations of murder, planted weapons or falsified reports.

But inquiry lawyers challenged that account directly, saying it contradicted testimony from multiple other senior officers.

One witness claimed N1788 had even referred to “the m-word” — meaning murder — during a phone conversation about SAS operations.

A third officer admitted he may have been too trusting of SAS reports at the time.

“I maybe naively read this stuff, believed it and carried on,” he told the inquiry.

Pressure Mounts On Britain’s Elite Regiment

The inquiry continues to examine allegations that members of the SAS carried out unlawful killings of civilians — including children — during night raids in Afghanistan.

The case threatens to become one of the most serious scandals ever faced by Britain’s most secretive military unit, with growing questions over whether senior commanders ignored warning signs to protect the regiment’s reputation and operational effectiveness.

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