According to Ministry of Defense (MoD) figures seen by the BBC, nine members of Britain’s special forces are facing prosecution for alleged war crimes linked to at least two separate incidents in Syria. may fall
The data, which was originally obtained through a Freedom of Information request. The Times newspaperreveals two cases are being reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service’s military equivalent, the Service Prosecuting Authority (Spa).
One case involved one person, while the other involved eight people.
The MoD did not reveal details of the cases, or whether they involved single or multiple incidents.
UK special forces have been deployed on operations against Islamic State (IS) in Syria for the past decade – but the Ministry of Defense has not commented on the operations or the location of the special forces troops.
An MoD spokesman said: “Our UK personnel are held to the highest standards around the world and anyone who fails to meet these standards will be subject to action, up to and including dismissal from service. is, where appropriate.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further on the ongoing investigation.”
In March 2024, it emerged Five serving SAS soldiers were under investigation. on an incident related to allegations of possible war crimes in Syria more than two years ago.
According to the Daily Mailthe incident relates to an operation involving the killing of a suspected jihadist, whose body was found near a primed bomb jacket – but was not wearing the jacket when he was killed.
The Mail reported that superior officers used excessive force on the SAS soldiers involved and should have arrested the man instead of killing him. The soldiers are said to have claimed that he posed a threat and intended to commit suicide.
It is not clear if this is the same previously reported case involving eight people.
In addition to the Syria cases, MoD figures show the SPA is also considering a case involving a Special Forces member in Afghanistan. Again, the details of this case were not provided.
A public inquiry is being held into the activities of the SAS during his tenure in Afghanistan.
The Independent Inquiry into Afghanistan – launched in the wake of reporting by the BBC and other media – is investigating whether UK special forces killed civilians in night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. And killed unarmed people.