(MENAFN) According to released testimony, a former high-ranking British officer has told a public inquiry that UK special forces in Afghanistan executed detainees and suspects with no consequences, despite these actions being widely known throughout the chain of command.

The statements come from one of four interview transcripts made public on Monday as part of an extensive investigation into the conduct of UK special forces, including the SAS, during operations in Helmand province between 2010 and 2013.

The officer, identified only as N1466 and previously serving as assistant chief of staff for operations at the UKSF headquarters, outlined serious internal reports of misconduct. He recounted allegations that some officers had admitted a unit was following a policy “of killing fighting aged males on target regardless of threat.”

The whistleblower noted that after many raids, the number of Afghans reported dead often exceeded the number of weapons discovered. He also questioned claims that detainees had reached for guns or grenades after being detained, saying such accounts were implausible.

According to him, multiple directors overseeing the special forces were aware of these concerns and attempted to “suppress” them. He added that “Other directors... clearly knew there was a problem.”

Despite this, the complaints were dismissed as nothing more than rivalry between units — a characterization he said “just didn’t chime with the evidence.”

Reflecting on the alleged misconduct, the officer said, “We didn’t join UKSF for this sort of behavior, you know, [for] toddlers to get shot in their beds or random killing. It’s not special, it’s not elite, it’s not what we stand for.”

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