The fallout from reports about the alleged conduct of elite British forces in Afghanistan appears to be rippling through the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment came under the spotlight at the weekend after emails were released suggesting its troops were involved in the deaths of 33 Afghan people in 11 night raids on homes in 2011.
Officials at the MoD are now looking into how ministers did not know about the emails until last Friday, BBC’s Newsnight programme reported.
British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is also said to want answers after the High Court ordered the release of the emails in a case brought by human rights law firm Leigh Day.
Documents seen by The Sunday Times newspaper reveal one incident in which it was alleged that a British soldier killed four people in Helmand on February 16, 2011.
SAS soldiers arrived by helicopter at night in a village called Gawahargin, in southern Helmand province, looking for a suspect behind a bombing.
Women and children were rounded up and the troops went into a family home where gunshots were heard.
A teenager named Saifullah went back into the house and found his father, brothers and cousin with bullet holes in their heads.
The allegation was passed on to the special investigation branch of the Royal Military Police, who believed the claims were serious enough to launch an investigation in 2014.
They found emails between special forces personnel, which have now been released by the court.
The Ministry of Defence said it had thoroughly investigated the claims and found no evidence to prosecute any soldiers.
After the emails were made public, Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, told The National that any new evidence should be pursued by investigators.
“The British Armed Forces have one of the most highly respected reputations in the world because of their standards and values on the battlefield,” Mr Ellwood said.
“If evidence comes to light that we have fallen beneath those standards, then it’s imperative that the military police reopen the investigation.”
Updated: August 4, 2020 04:15 AM
