Suspect charged after Vancouver car ramming leaves 11 dead    Suspect in killing of general claims he was paid by Ukraine    North Korea confirms troop deployment to Russia for first time    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    400-800 year old giant coral colony discovered within AMAALA waters in the Red Sea    Makkah police arrest Yemeni and Egyptian suspects of fake Hajj campaign    Kafalah grants 1,900 loan guarantees worth over SR4.8 billion to SMEs during 1Q 2025    Council of Senior Scholars reaffirms performing Hajj without a permit is a sinful act    HR Ministry launches 'Ajeer Al-Hajj' service for seasonal work during Hajj 2025    stc reports strong first-quarter 2025 results with 11% rise in net profit    King and Crown Prince offer condolence to Iranian president over the deadly port explosion    Saudi Awwal Bank records SR2.1 billion net profit after zakat and income tax for 1Q25    Virgin Atlantic celebrates one month of nonstop service between London and Riyadh    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



UK Special Forces at center of Afghanistan war crimes inquiry
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 06 - 07 - 2023

Britain's Ministry of Defense has confirmed for the first time that UK Special Forces are at the center of a war crimes inquiry.
The MoD on Wednesday abandoned an effort to restrict any mention of Special Forces' involvement in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
The MoD's stance had been challenged by bereaved family members and by several media outlets, including the BBC.
The inquiry follows years of reporting into alleged SAS unlawful killings.
In a statement ahead of a hearing of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said: "The inquiry is now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK Special Forces."
The decision to confirm the involvement of Special Forces units in operations under scrutiny from the inquiry reverses the position previously held by the MoD.
Wallace said the confirmation of Special Forces involvement was made only "in the exceptional circumstances of this inquiry".
"Outside of this very specific context, such confirmation should not be seen to alter the longstanding position of this government, and previous governments, to not comment on the deployment or activities of the UK Special Forces," he said.
The MoD had previously argued that the inquiry should restrict from the public "any evidence or documents or words or passages of documents, that tend to confirm or deny the alleged involvement of United Kingdom Special Forces in the operations that are to be investigated".
But on Monday, less than 48 hours before they were due to argue their case in front of the chair of the inquiry, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, MoD lawyers wrote to the inquiry saying the ministry "proposed to abandon that part of their application".
The reversal, confirmed at the hearing on Wednesday, means that evidence of involvement of UK Special Forces in the alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan can be discussed openly in the inquiry hearings and reported publicly.
A long-running investigation by the BBC uncovered evidence clearly indicating that one SAS unit operating in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011 killed 54 people in suspicious circumstances in one six-month tour.
Further reporting by the BBC uncovered specific cases that caused concern at the highest level of UK Special Forces, including a 2012 raid in which a different unit killed two parents and gravely wounded their two infant boys.
The MoD is still pursuing a request for all Special Forces personnel involved in the operations in Afghanistan to automatically be granted anonymity, and for all witness evidence about the operations themselves to be held in closed hearings, away from both the bereaved families and the public.
The MoD's lawyer, Brian Altman KC, also said that the ministry intended to keep in place its "neither confirm nor deny" policy in relation to naming specific UK Special Forces units or sub-units, arguing that the identification of "particular force elements" would pose a risk to future capabilities and operations.
Lawyers for the families of Afghans killed in seven separate Special Forces operations argue that the overall restrictions being sought by the MoD are "unjustifiable and seriously damaging to the credibility of the inquiry".
Tessa Gregory, a partner at Leigh Day, the law firm representing the families, said that the relatives had suffered "years of cover up and obfuscation" and remained concerned even as the inquiry began that the MoD was "seeking to shut the door on them and prevent evidence being heard in public".
"The bereaved families now put their trust in the inquiry to uncover the truth," Ms Gregory said.
Speaking at the opening of the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Lord Justice Haddon Cave said that, in line with the 2005 Inquiries Act, "as much as possible should be heard in public to allay public concerns about the subject matter of the inquiry".
But the chair acknowledged that some evidence would need to be heard in closed hearings, because of national security concerns. "The essential task is to balance the competing considerations in the public interest," he said.
A spokesman for the MoD said: "It is not appropriate for the MoD to comment on cases which are within the scope of the Statutory Inquiry and it is up to the Statutory Inquiry Team, led by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, to determine which allegations are investigated."
A lawyer for the Royal Military Police, Paul Greaney KC, told the inquiry on Wednesday that it was currently investigating allegations of unlawful killings in Afghanistan and had received evidence from informants on a confidential basis.
Stressing the importance of continuing its investigations without prejudicing potential prosecutions, and avoiding discouraging new informants coming forward, the RMP said it was seeking its own restrictions around three key areas: matters relating to its ongoing investigations; the identities of confidential informants; and the covert techniques and methods employed by the RMP so far in its investigations. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.