The testimony centers on operations between 2010 and 2013, when allegations emerged of extrajudicial shootings, planted weapons, and executions of detainees.

Newly released transcripts detail claims that senior commanders allowed rogue elements to continue operating despite internal alarms.

Whistleblower Describes “Sewer” Of Unchecked Killings

A senior officer, anonymised as N1466, said the regiment risked going “down the sewer” if criminal behavior was not confronted. He testified that special forces shot two toddlers in their beds during a raid, and that weapons were later planted to justify the killings.

He said such acts “failed” the mission to bring security and justice to Afghanistan and stained the memory of more than 400 British personnel who died in the conflict.

Alleged Pattern Of Executions

Transcripts show claims that detainees were taken on missions and executed under the pretence they attempted to attack their captors. One whistleblower described a raid where soldiers fired through a mosquito net until no movement remained; beneath it were women and children.

Another officer said extrajudicial killings were “the tip of the iceberg,” pointing to repeated cases where the number of people killed far exceeded the number of weapons recovered.

Claims Of High-Level Suppression

Witnesses alleged that the then-director of special forces “made a conscious decision” to suppress the allegations, ordering a superficial review of tactics rather than reporting potential crimes.

Internal data, they said, showed a sharp rise in killings and breaches of Geneva Convention obligations. Some officers stated they lost faith that the chain of command would support an independent investigation.

Evidence Continues To Surface

Upon returning to the unit in 2014, N1466 said he found that unlawful killings had continued at least into 2013, contradicting assurances that issues had been addressed.

Families of Afghan victims, including relatives of Imran (3) and Bilal (18 months)—injured in a 2012 raid that killed both parents—have urged the inquiry to deliver accountability. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the government fully supports the inquiry and will await its findings.