SAS troops face war crimes inquiry over Taliban ‘executions’

THE SAS is facing a war crimes probe over claims that its troops executed Taliban suspects while in custody.

Troops have told the Daily Mail they were aware of the practice, which was allegedly ‘covered up’ by the special forces unit’s commanders.

Last night, there were growing concerns the shoot to kill tactics could no longer be denied – which remains the Ministry of Defence’s official position.

One SAS soldier said the truth about such incidents will ‘rock everything’.

Another told the Daily Mail illegal killings were ‘part of our job’.

A BBC documentary due to be broadcast this evening will also claim that the SAS repeatedly shot dead detainees and unarmed men in suspicious circumstances.

Panorama will also claim that a former SAS commander, who later became a general, failed to disclose crucial evidence to a murder inquiry. An ongoing High Court case is also forcing defence officials to release previously unseen documents.

The mounting concerns over the conduct of UK troops come as members of Australia’s SAS face a murder trial. The case follows the emergence of a video of an Australian soldier allegedly executing an unarmed Afghan.

When questioned by the Daily

Mail, British SAS members explained the protection granted to the Taliban by the Afghan legal system forced them to adapt their Rules of Engagement.

Ordinarily in 2010-2011 they were required to observe an Afghan brandishing a weapon before they could open fire.

However, one soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained: ‘Illegal killings were part of our job and yes, the tactics were gruesome.

‘But arresting them [Taliban suspects] was pretty pointless because they would only be held for a few days before being released. So for me, the end justified the means.’

But other troops said that they struggle to justify deliberate shootings of unnamed Afghans, which was routinely followed by the placing of a weapon next to their corpse.

The ‘drop weapons’ tactic was used to suggest these individuals posed a threat at the time of their death. Another said: ‘It came down to one or two loose cannons [in the unit]. I’m not defending some individuals’ actions, but the whole truth is something we’re about to wrestle with and it is going to rock everything.’

SAS sources also suggested residual guilt over these practices was causing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and alcoholism among those who took part.

In March, a high court judge censured the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for its repeated delays in disclosing documents.

Mr Justice Swift blasted government officials for disrespecting timetables and suggested the MoD had a ‘devil may care’ attitude to cooperating with the legal system.

Last night, the MoD said that it would be open to considering ‘any new evidence’.

An MoD spokesman said: ‘Two service police operations carried out extensive and independent investigations into allegations about the conduct of UK forces in Afghanistan. Neither investigation found sufficient evidence to prosecute. The MoD stands open to considering any new evidence, there would be no obstruction.

‘But in the absence of this, we strongly object to this subjective reporting.’

‘The end justified the means’