Context:

Former UK Special Forces members have come forward with testimonies of alleged war crimes committed by their colleagues in Iraq and Afghanistan, detailing incidents of extrajudicial killings, including the murder of unarmed civilians and handcuffed detainees. The allegations, spanning over a decade, implicate both the SAS and the Royal Navy’s SBS, with veterans describing a culture of lawlessness and impunity that pervaded operations. Evidence suggests that these actions were known within the command structure and were not isolated incidents, with some members allegedly keeping score of their kills as a form of competition. Additionally, there are claims of systematic falsification of operational reports to avoid scrutiny, involving planted weapons on bodies to justify killings and misleading incident reviews to prevent investigations. Despite repeated warnings to then Prime Minister David Cameron regarding civilian casualties, the full extent of the UK's Special Forces' actions during this period remains under public inquiry, raising questions about accountability at the highest levels of government and military command.

Dive Deeper:

• Eyewitness accounts from former UK Special Forces veterans reveal allegations of routine extrajudicial killings in both Iraq and Afghanistan, where unarmed civilians, including children, and handcuffed detainees were executed by members of the SAS and SBS.

• Veterans describe a 'mob mentality' among troops, with some soldiers exhibiting psychopathic behaviors and feeling untouchable, contributing to a culture where the laws of war were regularly broken.

• The testimonies implicate the UK Special Forces command structure, suggesting widespread knowledge and implicit approval of these actions, with reports of drop weapons being planted on bodies to fabricate justifications for the killings.

• Prime Minister David Cameron was repeatedly informed of the concerns regarding UK Special Forces' operations, yet the allegations were not specifically acted upon, with the Ministry of Defence stating that it is supporting an ongoing public inquiry into these claims.

• The SAS reportedly kept a count of kills, with some operators allegedly competing to kill more, while falsified reports and altered incident reviews were used to prevent investigations by military police.

• Detailed video evidence and testimonies support previous claims of SAS squadrons engaging in competitive killing sprees, with one operator allegedly killing dozens of people on a single tour of Afghanistan.

• The public inquiry aims to examine the extent of knowledge and responsibility among senior government and military officials, including the role of the Prime Minister and defence leadership, in addressing these serious allegations of war crimes.