Five SAS soldiers arrested over alleged war crimes in Syria

Elite special forces who are still on active duty held after the death of a suspected jihadist

FIVE Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers have been arrested on suspicion of alleged war crimes following the death of a suspected jihadist in Syria.

The soldiers, who remain on active duty, said he posed a threat and feared he intended to carry out a suicide attack, it is claimed. Defence sources have indicated that the arrests had been made following the incident two years ago.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said it would not comment directly on the investigation. But an MOD spokesman said: “We hold our personnel to the highest standards and any allegations of wrongdoing are taken seriously. Where appropriate, any criminal allegations are referred to the service police for investigation.”

It is understood to be the first arrests involving UK personnel linked to an operation relating to the terror network. Sources at the Special Air Service claim a primed suicide vest was found nearby but the suspect was not wearing it when killed.

It is uncertain if any of the arrests will lead to prosecution of the soldiers as it is exceptionally rare that members of the SAS are convicted of war crimes.

The arrests have come at a time when the actions of the SAS in Afghanistan have come under the microscope in a public inquiry looking into claims that 80 Afghans were killed by the unit.

Lord Justice Haddon-cave is due to report during the autumn on whether or not war crimes took place and if they were adequately investigated.

It is expected his report could lead to a fresh criminal inquiry into the shootings and the chance that special forces commanders perverted the course of justice by obstructing attempts by military police to probe the killings.

Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, said senior figures in the Army “failed in their basic duty” to find out the truth regarding allegations of murder by the SAS. He told an inquiry that senior people within the MOD had failed to establish if a special forces unit, known as UKSF1, had a policy of executing males of “fighting age” who posed no threat in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.

Afghan families have accused UK special forces (UKSF) of conducting a “campaign of murder” against civilians, while senior officers and personnel at the MOD “sought to prevent adequate investigation”.

Asked by Oliver Glasgow KC, the counsel to the inquiry, if he was angry that he had not been told “the true picture” about the three-year period in question, Mr Mercer said that he was “angry with senior leaders within the Ministry of Defence and within UKSF”.

Members of the elite force, based in Hereford, operate in difficult and often dangerous circumstances behind enemy lines and in some locations where it is not revealed that Britain has a military presence.

UK special forces units are reported to have been carrying out secret operations in Syria for several years.

They have been working in both Syria and Iraq in a bid to defeat Islamic State.

Their role has been focused on identifying targets on the ground for RAF aircraft, including Reaper drones and Typhoons, to attack.

They have also been involved in operations to rescue children from the so-called caliphate and have them brought back to Britain.

The role of the SAS has recently changed in a drive to identify Iranian-backed militia smuggling weapons across the region and into Lebanon, an RAF source told The Times.

‘We hold our personnel to the highest possible standards and allegations are taken seriously’