UK troops under probe for possible war crimes in Syria, Afghanistan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
1 Jan 2025 00:03
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Nine special forces soldiers are being investigated for suspected war crimes in each of Syria and Afghanistan.

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In this March 29, 2003 file photo, a soldier of the British 1st Batallion Parachute Regiment shaves in the early morning mist before operations in a camp in southern Iraq. (AP)

The UK Ministry of Defense has opened an investigation into nine special forces soldiers over allegations of war crimes in Syria, with another servicemember under scrutiny for an offense in Afghanistan, according to The Times on Tuesday.

The inquiry focuses on two incidents in Syria, which may result in legal action. One case involves a single individual, while the other pertains to a group of eight soldiers, the report noted, citing Defense Ministry sources.

The ministry declined to provide specific details about the incidents. However, The Times revealed that authorities initially attempted to withhold the information but disclosed the ongoing investigations following a Freedom of Information Act request.

Earlier this year, it was reported that five UK troops might face court-martial over allegations of fatally shooting an innocent man during an anti-terror operation in Syria two years ago.

UK killed many civilians in Iraq, despite claims otherwise: Guardian

In a similar context, the UK has made allegedly "long-standing claims British weapons did not harm a single non-combatant" in Iraq during raids supposedly aimed at ISIS in Mosul. An investigation by The Guardian revealed that the UK's "perfect" war in Iraq in fact killed multiple civilians.

Over the years, the US and the coalition of allies it led in Iraq, have, despite UK claims, admitted to killing hundreds of Iraqi civilians while supposedly assisting Iraqi ground troops in the period following 2014.

The Guardian's investigation, which was conducted alongside the non-profit watchdog Airways, was able to distinguish six different airstrikes carried out by British forces in both 2016 and 2017 in Mosul, which led to the deaths of a number of civilians.

The report from the investigation included interviews with survivors of the strikes who spoke, for the first time, of the atrocities of war and the death and injury of their family members, children, and civilians.

According to The Guardian, the British Ministry of Defense declined to confirm or deny whether the specific strikes were conducted by its forces and insisted that the UK had not caused any civilian deaths in Iraq.

A spokesperson said, “There is no evidence or indication that civilian casualties were caused by strikes in Syria and Iraq,” adding that “the UK always minimizes the risk of civilian casualties through our rigorous processes and carefully examines a range of evidence to do this, including a comprehensive analysis of the mission data for every strike.”