Despite attempts at a cover-up, an ongoing inquiry shows the SAS had a 'golden pass allowing them to get away with murder' during the West’s occupation of Afghanistan
The SAS in Afghanistan has been accused of having a deliberate policy of murder
By Tomáš Tengely-Evans
Wednesday 08 January 2025
Wednesday 08 January 2025
SOCIALIST WORKER Issue 2937
The SAS special forces had a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder” during the West’s occupation of Afghanistan.
An inquiry into SAS night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013 heard the damning revelations, which it published on Wednesday, from a former senior special forces commander.
The officer identified as N1785 was operations chief of staff for the SBS, another British special forces unit.
A letter by N1785, dated April 2011, said, “One of my team, an officer, has been told by an individual from [redacted] that there is in effect an unofficial policy amongst [redacted] the to kill wherever possible fighting aged males on target, regardless of the immediate threat they pose to our troops.
“In some instances, this has involved the deliberate killing of individuals after they have been restrained by [redacted] and the subsequent fabrication of evidence to suggest a lawful killing in self-defence.”
The officer reported his concerns to the Director of Special Forces—the head of the SAS and SBS.
In 2011, the officer wrote that the SAS and murder were “regular bedfellows” and described the unit’s descriptions of killings as “quite incredible”. When asked by the inquiry if he stood over his accusation of murder, he replied, “Indeed.”
The officer reported his concerns to the Director of Special Forces—the head of the SAS and SBS. But the special forces were determined to protect themselves.
One document says there is “anecdotal evidence suggesting extrajudicial killings carried out by members” of UK Special Forces in Afghanistan. But the briefing note, which says the release of the information would cause “severe damage”, reveals that the evidence was stored in a “security compartment”.
There were plenty of crimes to cover up. Another senior SBS officer said, “I thought and think that on at least some operations the SAS was carrying out murders.”
A junior SBS officer described a conversation with a member of the SAS who had recently turned from Afghanistan. He was told that a soldier put a pillow over someone’s head before killing them with a pistol.
He said, “I suppose what shocked me most wasn’t the execution of potential members of the Taliban, which was of course wrong and illegal.
“But it was more the age and the methods and, you know, the details of things like pillows”.
He said that, according to the conversation he’d had, some of those murdered by the SAS were children. When asked by the inquiry if some of those killed were as young as 16, he replied, “Or younger, 100 percent.”
The SBS officers raised doubts about the reliability of SAS operational reports from Afghanistan, fearing the truth about the murders would come to light.
One of the senior officers, who worked the SBS headquarters in Poole, wrote to another senior officer on 9 February 2011. He said, “If we don’t believe this, then no one else will and when the next WikiLeaks occurs then we will be dragged down with them.”
The previous Tory government was forced to set up the inquiry after BBC Panorama reporting into the SAS.
The inquiry’s revelations come as up to six members of the SBS are being investigated over an operation in Libya two years ago. And last week it emerged that nine special forces personnel could face prosecution for war crimes in at least two separate incidents in Syria in the last decade.
The SAS are killers for British imperialism with a history of murder and cover up.
The SAS special forces had a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder” during the West’s occupation of Afghanistan.
An inquiry into SAS night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013 heard the damning revelations, which it published on Wednesday, from a former senior special forces commander.
The officer identified as N1785 was operations chief of staff for the SBS, another British special forces unit.
A letter by N1785, dated April 2011, said, “One of my team, an officer, has been told by an individual from [redacted] that there is in effect an unofficial policy amongst [redacted] the to kill wherever possible fighting aged males on target, regardless of the immediate threat they pose to our troops.
“In some instances, this has involved the deliberate killing of individuals after they have been restrained by [redacted] and the subsequent fabrication of evidence to suggest a lawful killing in self-defence.”
The officer reported his concerns to the Director of Special Forces—the head of the SAS and SBS.
In 2011, the officer wrote that the SAS and murder were “regular bedfellows” and described the unit’s descriptions of killings as “quite incredible”. When asked by the inquiry if he stood over his accusation of murder, he replied, “Indeed.”
The officer reported his concerns to the Director of Special Forces—the head of the SAS and SBS. But the special forces were determined to protect themselves.
One document says there is “anecdotal evidence suggesting extrajudicial killings carried out by members” of UK Special Forces in Afghanistan. But the briefing note, which says the release of the information would cause “severe damage”, reveals that the evidence was stored in a “security compartment”.
There were plenty of crimes to cover up. Another senior SBS officer said, “I thought and think that on at least some operations the SAS was carrying out murders.”
A junior SBS officer described a conversation with a member of the SAS who had recently turned from Afghanistan. He was told that a soldier put a pillow over someone’s head before killing them with a pistol.
He said, “I suppose what shocked me most wasn’t the execution of potential members of the Taliban, which was of course wrong and illegal.
“But it was more the age and the methods and, you know, the details of things like pillows”.
He said that, according to the conversation he’d had, some of those murdered by the SAS were children. When asked by the inquiry if some of those killed were as young as 16, he replied, “Or younger, 100 percent.”
The SBS officers raised doubts about the reliability of SAS operational reports from Afghanistan, fearing the truth about the murders would come to light.
One of the senior officers, who worked the SBS headquarters in Poole, wrote to another senior officer on 9 February 2011. He said, “If we don’t believe this, then no one else will and when the next WikiLeaks occurs then we will be dragged down with them.”
The previous Tory government was forced to set up the inquiry after BBC Panorama reporting into the SAS.
The inquiry’s revelations come as up to six members of the SBS are being investigated over an operation in Libya two years ago. And last week it emerged that nine special forces personnel could face prosecution for war crimes in at least two separate incidents in Syria in the last decade.
The SAS are killers for British imperialism with a history of murder and cover up.
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