SAS troops who queried the shooting of unarmed Afghans were scolded by bosses and told to ‘shut up’, according to court papers.
Evidence of apparent attempts to silence whistleblowers emerged last night as part of a release of High Court documents.
The Independent Inquiry into Afghanistan is looking into claims that UK troops ‘murdered’ up to 80 Taliban suspects from 2010 to 2013.
The papers, and transcripts from closed hearings, have revealed a bid to dampen any suggestion of wrongdoing at the time.
Meanwhile, Special Forces troops who have cooperated with military police, and with the inquiry, have admitted fearing for their safety.
They are concerned they could face reprisals from former colleagues for revealing that war crimes were committed.
The inquiry into the suspicious killings is expected to report either later this year or early next year.
In one hearing, the chair, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, asked if United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF) officers had been ordered to ‘keep their mouths shut’.
SAS troops who queried the shooting of unarmed Afghans were scolded by bosses and told to ‘shut up’, according to court papers (file image)
The Independent Inquiry into Afghanistan is looking into claims that UK troops ‘murdered’ up to 80 Taliban suspects from 2010 to 2013 (file image)
A witness, referred to as N2107, replied: ‘That is exactly how I read that sir. Basically there appears to be a culture of ‘shut up, don’t question’.
Another witness, N2349, told the court: ‘I thought, and I think, that on at least some operations [a squadron] was carrying out murders.’
More than 100 British troops were either killed or wounded by Improved Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted in Helmand Province.
Another factor behind the apparent ‘shoot to kill’ policy was the absence of any effective court or prison system.
This meant Taliban suspects seized by UK forces would be freed from custody within days.
The inquiry into the suspicious killings is expected to report either later this year or early next year (file image)
The court has heard this led to UK Special Forces units adopting a policy of killing all the ‘fighting age males’ they encountered, regardless of whether they were armed.
SAS soldiers allegedly placed weapons beside the bodies of the Afghans they killed, so it appeared they had posed a threat.
Papers released last night indicated these weapons, carried by SAS troops for this purpose, were known as ‘Mr Wolf’ – a character in the film Pulp Fiction who solves problems.
Witness N1799 said they feared for their personal wellbeing after making an allegation against Special Forces, adding: ‘I still do now.’
N1799 also admitted he was concerned he would be perceived by former colleagues as a ‘traitor’.
