Afghan inquiry into alleged SAS war crimes has already cost £58m, MoD figures show
Summary
A British inquiry into claims that Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers killed unarmed Afghan civilians during operations has cost UK taxpayers £58 million so far. The inquiry started in 2023 and is still ongoing, with delays caused partly by slow information sharing from the Ministry of Defence.Key Facts
- The inquiry investigates alleged war crimes by SAS soldiers in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.
- It focuses on accusations that SAS soldiers killed detainees and civilians, including children, during night raids against the Taliban.
- The inquiry was started by former defence secretary Ben Wallace after BBC reports in 2022 raised the allegations.
- Initially, the inquiry expected to report within 12-18 months but has been running for over three and a half years with no findings published yet.
- The Ministry of Defence says the total cost of the inquiry and related work is £58 million by March 2026.
- About 74 MoD staff spend more than half their time on the inquiry.
- The SAS Regimental Association supports the inquiry but says the long process hurts the SAS’s reputation, morale, and military effectiveness.
- Public inquiries like this one can take many years and be very expensive, similar to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry which lasted 12 years and cost over £190 million.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
