Two former heads of all UK Special Forces suppressed evidence of possible SAS war crimes in Afghanistan, a former senior officer has told a public inquiry.
The officer, identified only as N1466, is one of the most high-ranking former Special Forces figures to allege that serious evidence was withheld. His testimony was published on Monday by the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, which is examining long-standing allegations that SAS units killed detainees and unarmed civilians, including children, during operations.
Claims of “Explosive” Evidence
N1466 said he first became concerned in February 2011 after reviewing reports indicating that SAS units were killing unusually high numbers of Afghan men, with too few enemy weapons recovered to justify the volume of deaths.
He described one incident in which nine Afghan men were killed during a night raid, with only three weapons reportedly discovered. Images from the scene later showed bullet holes clustered low on the walls, raising questions about whether the victims were shot while lying down. Families of the dead insisted they were civilians.
Alongside these reports, N1466 said he became aware of whistleblower accounts of SAS troopers boasting during training about killing all “fighting-age males”, regardless of whether they posed any threat.
“I will be clear, we are talking about war crimes,” he told the inquiry.
Allegations Directed at Special Forces Leadership
N1466 said he raised the alarm in April 2011, commissioning a review of operations that he described as looking “startlingly bad” for the SAS. He presented the findings to the then–director special forces, warning that there was “strong potential of criminal behaviour”.
However, he said the director failed to pass the allegations to the Royal Military Police (RMP), despite legal duties requiring commanders to report any suspected serious offences. Instead, the director ordered an internal review of SAS tactics, a move N1466 described as a “warning shot” to the squadron rather than a meaningful investigation.
According to his evidence, a second director of special forces who took command in 2012 also “clearly knew there was a problem in Afghanistan” but similarly failed to alert military police.
“It was not just one director that has known about this,” N1466 said, adding that the leadership of UK Special Forces was “very much suppressing” the allegations.
Wider Context and Previous Allegations
The inquiry was launched following reports in 2022 detailing claims that 54 detainees and unarmed men were killed by the SAS during a single six-month tour in Afghanistan. Those reports also indicated that senior leadership in 2012 had failed to report potential unlawful killings.
At the start of the inquiry, both Gen Sir Mark Carleton-Smith and Lt Gen Jonathan Page, who served as directors special forces during the period in question, were named in procedural documents related to allegations that they did not inform the RMP of serious concerns.
Four-Year Delay Before Reporting
Despite his early concerns, N1466 did not approach the RMP until January 2015, nearly four years after he first raised the matter internally. He told the inquiry he regretted not going sooner and acknowledged the consequences of the delay.
“When you look back… there were two toddlers shot in their bed next to their parents,” he said, referring to an SAS raid in Nimruz province in August 2012. The two parents were killed, and their children were shot and gravely injured. That incident was never reported to military police.
Responses from Former Directors and Representatives
The director who took over in 2012 has rejected N1466’s account, saying no senior commanders raised concerns with him at any point and that he was unaware of any evidence requiring referral to the RMP. He said he would provide a detailed response as part of his inquiry evidence.
The former director from 2011 did not respond to requests for comment.
Lawyers representing Afghan families said they were “grateful” for N1466’s testimony but raised concerns that many frontline soldiers are refusing to give evidence, citing privilege against self-incrimination.
Other senior military figures urged caution. Former SAS commanding officer Col Richard Williams said N1466’s account represented “the critical opinion of one”, arguing that a broader set of evidence is required. Former veterans’ minister Johnny Mercer warned against accepting “only one side”, stressing that the vast majority of British service personnel act within the law.
Nature of the Inquiry
A spokesperson for the Independent Inquiry said it is investigating “the deliberate execution of Afghan males”, and not decisions made in the heat of battle. The inquiry said it is legally required to publish evidence “when we can”.
The inquiry continues to hear testimony from military personnel and is expected to examine further documentation and operational reports in the coming months.
