Afghan president voiced concern over civilians killed by SAS troops, inquiry told

Concerns about Afghan civilian deaths linked to British special forces led President Hamid Karzai to complain to NATO commanders. Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment includes redacted summaries of testimony from a special forces staff officer, N1788, who reviewed tactics used in operations where civilians were repeatedly killed. The evidence states that by spring 2011 Afghan partner military forces were no longer willing to work alongside the British special forces sub-unit SU1. It also describes a recurring procedure in April 2011 where Afghan males were asked to return inside a family compound after a raid, often at night. On multiple occasions, weapons were produced and the men were killed, raising concerns the procedure had become inefficient because fewer weapons were found than Afghans killed.

"President Hamid Karzai was very muscular' in addressing the issue of British detention operations with Nato's chain of command, according to the summary of N1788's two days of evidence, first given in the autumn of 2024. Around the same time, the evidence summary said, everyone was aware that some of the Afghan partner units were being reluctant to go on operations with the British special forces sub-unit, known only as SU1. This became a major issue for campaigns across the Nato-led forces operating in Afghanistan and emerged at the same time as the US president Barack Obama had increased the number of US troops in Afghanistan to try to deal with a growing Taliban insurgency."

"In April 2011, the staff officer had been asked to review a recurring procedure in which Afghan males were asked by the SAS to come back inside a family compound that had been the subject of a special forces raid, typically at night-time. On several occasions, the Afghan men were said to have produced weapons and were promptly killed. N1788 told the inquiry that there were concerns that the procedure had become an inefficient practice. Sometimes there were fewer weapons discovered than there were Afghans killed."

"Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment also showed that Afghan partner military forces were no longer willing to work alongside the British by the spring of 2011. The statements are contained in redacted and summarised evidence of a special forces staff officer, known only as N1788, who had been responsible for reviewing tactics used in operations that led to civilians repeatedly being killed."

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