British troops seen all fighting-age males as targets, a former service member mentioned in his testimony
British commandos had a coverage of routinely killing civilians throughout anti-Taliban raids in Afghanistan, a former soldier has instructed a public inquiry.
The testimonies of seven troopers and commanders launched on Wednesday are a part of an investigation into the conduct of the UK particular forces, together with the SAS, in Helmand province between 2010 and 2013.
“Throughout these operations it was mentioned that ‘all combating age males are killed’ heading in the right direction whatever the risk they posed, this included these not holding weapons,” a soldier, identified solely as N1799, instructed the inquiry.
“It was additionally indicated that ‘combating age males’ have been being executed heading in the right direction, inside compounds, utilizing quite a lot of strategies after they’d been restrained,” the witness added.
In keeping with N1799, “in a single case it was talked about a pillow was put over the pinnacle of a person earlier than being killed with a pistol.” The witness mentioned he had been “shocked by the age and strategies” used to kill Afghans.
The witness mentioned the troops used phrases akin to “flat packing” when describing the alleged executions.
One other former commando mentioned that the particular forces had a “golden go permitting them to get away with homicide,” as quoted by the BBC.
In keeping with Reuters, not one of the troopers who offered testimony mentioned that they’d witnessed the murders themselves.
The inquiry was instructed that some troopers had raised considerations in regards to the conduct of their colleagues. In keeping with a sworn statement cited by the New York Occasions, a soldier raised a query in an electronic mail about whether or not SAS models have been manufacturing situations that allowed them to kill Afghan combatants, one other officer replied, “these Afghans are so silly they need to die.”
The regulation agency Leigh Day, which represents the bereaved households, argued final yr that there have been not less than 30 “suspicious incidents” which resulted within the deaths of greater than 80 folks.
British troops and different Western forces left Afghanistan in 2021, following twenty years of Taliban insurgency. The UK misplaced 457 troopers throughout its occupation of Afghanistan.
You possibly can share this story on social media:
