UK special forces had ‘golden pass’ to carry out killings in Afghanistan, inquiry hears

Open Editor’s Digest for free

FT editor Rula Khalaf picks her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.

British special forces fighting in Afghanistan had a “golden pass” that allowed them to get away with killing and they operated under a “code of silence” that prevented soldiers from speaking out, a public inquiry into suspected war crimes has heard.

The allegations were contained in affidavits released by the Afghanistan Inquiry on Wednesday as part of the release of material summarizing closed-door hearings with seven British special forces.

The inquiry is looking into allegations of killings by British special forces during night raids against the Taliban between 2010 and 2013, which were then covered up.

One officer told the inquiry that UK special forces appeared to have a “golden pass which allows them to get away with murder”.

Asked by inquiry counsel Oliver Glasgow whether operational reports on the missions could be read to also indicate that UK special forces “may have carried out additional judicial killings”, the officer replied: “Yes.”

Another officer said soldiers trying to uncover suspected wrongdoing were allegedly “complained” by their peers and told “it’s none of your business”.

“I believe the UKSF operates a code of silence or omerta which prevents people from speaking out. I am concerned for my personal safety in making this statement.”

Britain’s special forces, the Special Air Service and the Special Boat Service, are kept secret by their operations, with political control limited to a select few, often only the Defense Secretary and the Prime Minister.

The material released to the public on Wednesday summarizes the testimony of the closed sessions held last year, in which only the investigative team and representatives of the Ministry of Defense were allowed to participate. Testimonies have also remained anonymous.

But the hundreds of pages of leaked documents provide a rare picture, sometimes in graphic detail, of the allegedly aggressive tactics some special forces have used to hunt down the Taliban.

One unit “adopted a policy of targeting all males of combat age”, the inquest heard. Some units may also choose to “take the law into their own hands” rather than release suspected Taliban insurgents.

“It’s possible that frustrations with inconsistent detention processes in Afghanistan may have led people to conclude that they should take the law into their own hands,” said one soldier.

Another officer described how some of the special forces soldiers called the dead Afghans “flat packed.” He was also asked about the weapons, colloquially known as “Mr. Wolf,” which were sometimes placed next to the corpses. they appeared to be armed when they were killed.

Glasgow, the inquest barrister, asked if it was a reference to a Hollywood film Pulp Fiction:in which the character, Mr. Wolff, arrives at the scene of a murder and declares that he is there to “solve problems”.

The officer replied. “That’s right. I didn’t put two and two together.”