The Royal Courts of Justice in London has started hearings this Monday (Oct. 9) on an independent inquiry to examine longstanding claims that British special forces murdered dozens of Afghan men during ‘counterinsurgency’ operations in Afghanistan around a decade ago.
Besides the unlawful killings that took place during night raids carried out by Britain’s elite military units, the inquiry seeks to sort out allegations that authorities covered up the crimes or rather failed to effectively investigate it.
The British military has found that soldiers were in fact acting in self-defense. The investigation will hear submissions from the families of 33 people, including eight children allegedly killed by special forces.
Associated Press reported:
“‘Our clients hope that the opening of this inquiry marks the end of ‘the wall of silence’ and obstruction that has confronted them over the last decade’, said lawyer Tessa Gregory, representing the families.
Her law firm, Leigh Day, argues that between 2010 and 2013, more than 80 Afghans were killed under ‘suspicious’ circumstances at the hands of British special forces. That formed part of a ‘widespread and systematic pattern of unlawful extrajudicial killings’, it said.”
Oliver Glasgow, lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the inquiry will ensure that those with something to hide will be held accountable.
Glasgow cited email exchanges between officers that suggested concerns within the military about the disproportionate number of casualties.
“One such email noted ‘there appears to be a casual disregard for life’, while others discussed the disproportionate number of enemy dead compared to the number of weapons recovered.”
The inquiry will also delve into two previous investigations by the Royal Military Police, which closed with no prosecutions.
“When the BBC aired details about the alleged unlawful killings in an investigative program last year, the Ministry of Defense cited the lack of evidence in the two earlier inquiries and claimed it was “irresponsible and incorrect” to report the allegations.”
Reuters reported:
“The independent inquiry was ordered by Britain’s defence ministry last December after a BBC TV documentary reported that soldiers from the elite Special Air Service (SAS) had killed 54 people in suspicious circumstances.”
Two families who accuse SAS troops for the killing of their relatives, in 2011 and 2012, began the legal action aiming for a judicial reviews of their cases.
“‘The bereaved families look to the inquiry to fearlessly uncover the truth of the deaths of their loved ones and to ensure that those responsible are held to account’.
The chair Charles Haddon-Cave has said the inquiry would examine whether there was unlawful activity by British military personnel between mid-2010 and mid-2013 during ‘deliberate detention operations’, and whether there was credible information of extra-judicial killings.
It will also look at whether investigations by the military police were properly conducted, and if any unlawful killings were covered up to prevent them ‘ever coming to light’.”
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