Swoop: SAS hold suspects at gunpoint in Afghanistan

EXCLUSIVE: SAS faces war crimes probe over claims its troops executed scores of Taliban suspects while in custody in Afghanistan

The Special Air Service is facing a war crimes probe over claims its troops executed scores of Taliban suspects while in custody.

Troops have told the Daily Mail they were aware of the practice in 2010 and 2011, which was allegedly covered up by commanders.

Today, there was growing alarm the shoot-to-kill tactics of so-called SAS death squads could no longer be denied.

The Ministry of Defence has always insisted that the suspicious deaths of Afghans captured by the elite troops had been properly investigated.

But more evidence is emerging the SAS obstructed the probe by the Royal Military Police.

Read the full story on the Mail+ now.

Swoop: SAS hold suspects at gunpoint in Afghanistan

Swoop: SAS hold suspects at gunpoint in Afghanistan

One SAS soldier said the truth will ‘rock everything’. Another admitted illegal killings were ‘part of our job’. 

A BBC documentary due to be broadcast this evening will also claim the SAS repeatedly shot dead detainees and unarmed men in suspicious circumstances. Panorama will further claim a former SAS commander, who later became a general, failed to disclose crucial evidence to a murder inquiry.

An ongoing court case is also forcing defence officials to release previously unseen documents. 

SAS members said they were effectively crippled by the Afghan legal system. Ordinarily in 2010-2011 they were required to observe an Afghan brandishing a weapon before they could open fire. One soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained: ‘Illegal killings were part of our job and yes, the tactics were gruesome. But arresting them [Taliban suspects] was pretty pointless because they would only be held for a few days before being released. So for me, the end justified the means.’ 

Pictured: Image of soldiers in Afghanistan in June 2010

Pictured: Image of soldiers in Afghanistan in June 2010 

But other troops said they struggle to justify deliberate shootings of unnamed Afghans, which was routinely followed by the placing of a weapon next to their corpse. 

The ‘drop weapons’ tactic was used to suggest these individuals posed a threat at the time of their death. 

Another said: ‘It came down to one or two loose cannons [in the unit].’ 

SAS sources also suggested residual guilt over these practices is causing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and alcoholism among those who took part. 

In March, a high court judge censured the Ministry of Defence for its repeated delays in disclosing documents. 

Mr Justice Swift blasted government officials for disrespecting timetables and suggested that the MOD had a ‘devil may care’ attitude to cooperating with the legal system. Last night the Ministry of Defence said it was open to considering ‘any new evidence’ without obstruction despite officials insisting previous independent investigations into allegations had found ‘insufficient evidence to prosecute’. 

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