UK: Five SAS Soldiers Under Investigation Over Alleged War Crimes in Syria

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Facts

• Five serving members of the Special Air Service, an elite unit belonging to UK Special Forces, are under investigation for alleged war crimes committed in Syria years ago.¹
• While their identities haven't been revealed — and are likely to remain secret if authorities decide to proceed with a court martial — the service police have recommended the Service Prosecuting Authority pursue murder charges, the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service.²
• According to the Daily Mail, the allegations pertain to the killing of a jihadist in Syria. Though a suicide vest was found nearby, the jihadist wasn't wearing it when he was killed — officials claim troops should have arrested him instead of shooting him several times at point-blank range.³
• In 2023, a separate public inquiry into SAS actions in Afghanistan heard that as many as 80 civilians were unlawfully killed in summary executions between 2010 and 2013.⁴
• Last month, Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer, who served in a Special Boat Service in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009, told the public inquiry that SAS soldiers often carried non-NATO-issued weapons to plant next to the deceased, to falsely suggest that the suspects posed a threat to British troops.⁵

Sources: ¹BBC News (a), ²Guardian, ³Daily Mail, ⁴ReliefWeb and ⁵BBC News (b).

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. The British defense ministry holds all personnel to the highest standards, and takes all allegations of wrongdoing extremely seriously. If an investigation finds evidence of criminal wrongdoing, the case will be presented to the relevant prosecuting authority, and justice will be served.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Inews.Co.Uk. After serious wrongdoing by SAS soldiers was revealed in Afghanistan, new management decided to prosecute a comparatively low-level infraction to show they were taking action. Responses to these extremely serious allegations have amounted to nothing more than a case of reputation management.

Predictions