Special Forces at centre of Afghanistan war crimes inquiry, MoD confirms

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed for the first time that UK Special Forces are at the centre of a war crimes inquiry.

The MoD on Wednesday abandoned an effort to restrict any mention of Special Forces' involvement in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

The MoD's stance had been challenged by bereaved family members and by several media outlets, including the BBC.

The inquiry follows years of reporting into alleged SAS unlawful killings.

In a statement ahead of a hearing of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "The inquiry is now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK Special Forces."

The decision to confirm the involvement of Special Forces units in operations under scrutiny from the inquiry reverses the position previously held by the MoD.

Mr Wallace said the confirmation of Special Forces involvement was made only "in the exceptional circumstances of this inquiry".

"Outside of this very specific context, such confirmation should not be seen to alter the longstanding position of this government, and previous governments, to not comment on the deployment or activities of the UK Special Forces," he said.