British forces considered all fighting-age males as targets, a former soldier service member stated in his testimony
British commandos had a coverage of routinely killing civilians throughout anti-Taliban raids in Afghanistan, a former soldier has informed a public inquiry.
The testimonies of seven troopers and commanders launched on Wednesday are a part of an investigation into the conduct of the UK particular forces, together with the SAS, in Helmand province between 2010 and 2013.
“Throughout these operations it was stated that ‘all combating age males are killed’ on track whatever the menace they posed, this included these not holding weapons,” a soldier, identified solely as N1799, informed the inquiry.
“It was additionally indicated that ‘combating age males’ have been being executed on track, inside compounds, utilizing a wide range of strategies after that they had been restrained,” the witness added.
In accordance with N1799, “in a single case it was talked about a pillow was put over the pinnacle of a person earlier than being killed with a pistol.” The witness stated he had been “shocked by the age and strategies” used to kill Afghans.
The witness stated the troops used phrases similar to “flat packing” when describing the alleged executions.
One other former commando stated that the particular forces had a “golden go permitting them to get away with homicide,” as quoted by the BBC.
In accordance with Reuters, not one of the troopers who supplied testimony stated that that they had witnessed the murders themselves.
The inquiry was informed that some troopers had raised issues in regards to the conduct of their colleagues. In accordance with an affidavit cited by the New York Occasions, a soldier raised a query in an electronic mail about whether or not SAS models have been manufacturing situations that allowed them to kill Afghan combatants, one other officer replied, “these Afghans are so silly they need to die.”
The regulation agency Leigh Day, which represents the bereaved households, argued final yr that there have been at the least 30 “suspicious incidents” which resulted within the deaths of greater than 80 folks.
British troops and different Western forces left Afghanistan in 2021, following twenty years of Taliban insurgency. The UK misplaced 457 troopers throughout its occupation of Afghanistan.
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