SAS commandos investigated over war crimes in Syria – media — RT World News
Five elite British special forces soldiers reportedly used excessive force against a suspected militant two years ago
British media reported on Tuesday that a group of British Special Forces agents are under investigation for committing war crimes while carrying out their duty in Syria.
The five unnamed Special Air Service soldiers allegedly used excessive force during an incident in which a suspected gunman was killed two years ago. The soldiers reportedly said they believed the man posed a legitimate threat, while their superiors believed they should have arrested him instead. The Daily Mail, citing SAS sources, reported that an explosive vest was found near the body but the suspect was not wearing it when he was killed.
The newspaper, which first reported the story, says the suspects were allowed to remain on duty with their regiment while the case was investigated.
But The Guardian newspaper reported that the British military police arrested the commandos, indicating that the Ministry of Defense would not comment directly on the investigation. The outlet said the case files recommending prosecution of murder charges were sent by the Service Police to the Service Prosecution Service. The report noted that it is not clear whether any of the arrests will lead to a trial, and convictions of British soldiers for war crimes are extremely rare.
The SAS, an elite special forces regiment, has been deployed in Syria for several years, secretly fighting against ISIS.
The latest allegations come as a public inquiry into the actions of the SAS in Afghanistan is underway.
The investigation began in December 2022 after a BBC documentary reported that SAS soldiers unlawfully killed 80 civilians during night raids in Helmand province between 2010 and 2013. The BBC claimed that senior British officers were aware of this. “For some time” From allegations that SAS soldiers had “unofficial policy” From doing “Execution of alleged Taliban affiliates.”
In 2019, a military police investigation into alleged criminal wrongdoing in Afghanistan was closed without charges after no evidence was found. The investigation considered a total of 675 allegations of wrongdoing, including allegations that SAS commandos killed dozens of unarmed men, detainees and civilians during raids. It was later reported that SAS leaders had destroyed computer data to cover up potential evidence of the crimes.
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