British special forces killed 54 Afghans in suspicious circumstances, the BBC claims. Nobody is above the law, says Boris Johnson.
this tuesday BBC publication of the week documentary film About possible war crimes committed by British special forces in Afghanistan – and attempts to cover them up.
According to the BBC, Special Forces unlawfully killed 54 unarmed Afghans and held a six-month mission in Afghanistan.
Several opposition politicians have called for an independent investigation into the situation. Stuart MacDonald of the Scottish National Party claims that the topic has surfaced internally in the past:
– He said during a question-and-answer session on Wednesday that the Defense Ministry swept it under the rug.
MacDonald approached outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and asked him if he would agree to an investigation.
Johnson replied that it had always been the practice “not to comment on special forces”. He stressed that this does not mean that he accepts the facts in the allegations of the BBC, BBC writes.
Johnson replied: “No one serving in the British Army is above the law.”
Conservative politician Sir Bill Wiggin, on the other hand, criticized the BBC’s work, calling it an “attack” on the Special Forces:
“They are the bravest and coolest voters I wish to represent,” he said.
The officers should have known
The BBC revealed the circumstances through military reports from the British Special Air Service (SAS) regiment.
Reports indicate that Special Forces unlawfully killed 54 people in a six-month mission in Afghanistan.
It is not clear exactly when the killings took place, but according to the BBC, it is on assignment in 2011.
The internal emails also show that several senior officers were aware of the concern about the unlawful killings, including former SAS chief Mark Carleton Smith.
These must have failed to report the circumstances even though there is a legal obligation to do exactly that.
He will not comment on the allegations
People serving in the SAS squadron told the BBC that they saw special forces kill unarmed people during a night attack, and that they planted weapons at the scene to justify it.
Moreover, the soldiers in the special forces allegedly competed with each other to kill the largest number of people.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense says it cannot comment on specific allegations, but a spokesman said British forces in Afghanistan “acted bravely and professionally” and maintained “the highest standards”.
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