UK veterans admit to ‘barbaric’ killings in Iraq, Afghanistan

British special forces, specifically the Army’s Special Air Service (SAS) and the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service (SBS), have been accused of committing systematic war crimes during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, Arab News reported citing the BBC’s “Panorama” program.

These former soldiers revealed that unlawful executions, including of detainees and children, became routine. They described incidents where individuals were handcuffed and shot while asleep, with weapons planted afterward to justify the killings.

Eyewitnesses reported a “mob mentality” among troops, leading to “barbaric” behavior and psychopathic traits. Some veterans said killing became addictive, with squads executing all men found in targeted locations without justification. The veterans also claimed that these actions were known and implicitly approved within the special forces command structure. To cover up these crimes, soldiers allegedly falsified incident reports and planted “drop weapons” at execution sites.

The investigation highlighted that then-UK Prime Minister David Cameron was repeatedly warned about these abuses by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Despite this, the alleged war crimes continued beyond the timeframe of the current public inquiry, which only covers a three-year period. The UK Ministry of Defence expressed full commitment to the ongoing inquiry and encouraged veterans with relevant information to come forward. This testimony sheds new light on serious allegations of misconduct by Britain’s elite military units during two major conflicts.