Inquiry launched into claims SAS soldiers killed Afghan civilians
GuardianMAR 17 2023
The announcement of this inquiry may give some hope to the mourning families of those killed by the SAS unit, but it is very unlikely that these war criminals will be held accountable. The controversial Overseas Operation Act virtually bars war crimes prosecution of British troops, especially for any allegations over five years old. This is a failure of the British military and institutions.
This probe reinforces that UK's armed forces must comply with the highest possible operational standards. However, the bar for prosecutions must be very high so as not to inflict a severe blow on the morale of British veterans. This probe could very well join several others regarding allegations of misconduct — each failing to find enough evidence for prosecutions.