British troops have been accused of murdering at least 80 Afghan detainees between 2010 and 2013
British Special Forces troops linked to the extrajudicial killings of more than 80 people while serving in Afghanistan must have their identities remain a secret, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The British government opened an investigation last year to probe allegations made by families of Afghan detainees that there had been at least 30 incidents involving the executions of at least 80 prisoners between 2010 and 2013. Many of the claims are centered around a single “rogue” Special Air Service (SAS) unit, according to a Wednesday report by The Times newspaper.
The same publication also detailed that the Ministry of Defence was attempting to prevent the publication of the names of SAS and Special Boat Service (SBS) soldiers who might have been involved, and has asked that evidence be given to the inquiry privately.
In opening remarks delivered on the first day of the preliminary hearings on Wednesday, inquiry chairman Lord Justice Haddon-Cave said that the public was entitled to hear “as much as possible” but that this must be balanced against national security concerns.
This position was echoed by Brian Altman KC, the legal counsel representing the MoD, who explained that identifying soldiers could be hazardous to the ongoing work of UK troops and could potentially place them in “serious risk.” He added that the MoD was “clearly expert” in identifying “national security risks.”
However, the firm representing family members of the deceased Afghans argued that some special forces members had frequently and openly spoken of the operations they were involved in. Richard Hermey KC of Leigh Day Solicitors presented the inquiry with a 57-page document detailing instances of soldiers talking about covert missions, including on YouTube and on social media.
Evidence was also submitted that claims that special forces commanders allegedly conspired to delete computer files that may have provided evidence that troops had illegally killed Afghan detainees.
Hermer added in his comments that the inquiry’s mission was in “ascertaining the truth, whatever that truth may turn out to be.” He also said that a previous investigation into the claims conducted by the Royal Military police that recommended no prosecutions in 2017 was evidence of a “wide-ranging, multilayered and years-long cover-up.”
In its own statement, the MoD said that it was “not appropriate” for it to comment on cases that are “within the scope of the statutory inquiry.”
Last month, Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, was found by a federal court judge to have been complicit in the deaths of unarmed Afghan civilians while serving in the country.
