The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has disclosed that nine members of UK Special Forces could be facing prosecution for alleged war crimes related to at least two separate incidents in Syria. The source of the data is a Freedom of Information request made by The Times newspaper. It has since emerged that two cases are being examined by the Service Prosecuting Authority (Spa), which is the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service. The MoD has not disclosed any further details about the cases at this time.
UK Special Forces have been involved in operations against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria over the last decade. However, as the MoD does not comment on military operations or troops deployed, the locations or activities of the personnel involved are unknown. An MoD spokeswoman said that personnel are held to the highest standards, and that “action will be taken against anyone that fails to meet these standards, including dismissal from service where appropriate”.
A previous incident relating to potential war crimes in Syria was reported in March 2024 when five serving SAS soldiers were under investigation. In that case, the soldiers faced allegations of the excessive use of force when a suspected jihadist was killed in an operation. It was claimed the man should have been arrested rather than killed, as he was not wearing a primed bomb vest at the time. The soldiers involved stated that he posed a threat and that they feared he was going to carry out a suicide attack.
Aside from the Syria cases, the MoD data also reveals that Spa is investigating a UK Special Forces individual in Afghanistan. No further details have been provided about this case. In addition, a public inquiry into the activities of the SAS in Afghanistan has been launched, investigating whether civilians and unarmed individuals were killed on night raids between 2010 and 2013. The inquiry was initiated following reporting by the BBC and other media outlets
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