Watan-The military police in Britain have arrested five soldiers from the special forces on suspicion of committing war crimes during operations in Syria.
The British newspaper The Guardian quoted the Ministry of Defence as saying it would not directly comment on the investigation, but defense sources indicated that reports of the arrests circulating within military circles for some time were accurate.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said, “We hold our personnel to the highest standards, and any allegations of wrongdoing are taken extremely seriously.”
Any criminal allegations are referred to the Service Police for investigation when necessary.
British Forces Activity in Syria
British forces have been active in Syria clandestinely for years, combating the Islamic State and supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
British special forces have participated in secretive operations without the approval of the British Parliament in 19 countries and regions, including Syria, Sudan, Yemen, the Strait of Hormuz, Somalia, Algeria, Iraq, and Pakistan.
The activities of special forces have always been controversial due to their involvement in practices such as the assassination of British citizens in Iraq and Syria, as well as incidents of friendly fire causing casualties in Syria.
In 2018, British Special Forces soldier Matt Tonroe was killed by friendly fire alongside American commando Jonathan Dunbar during a joint operation against ISIS in Manbij, northern Syria. They were killed when an explosive device carried by a colleague detonated.
Arrest of 5 British Soldiers
The case against the five British soldiers revolves around the killing of a suspected ISIS member. The British newspaper stated that the soldiers used excessive force in the incident, although the implicated soldiers deny this, arguing that they believed the victim posed a credible threat, thus justifying his killing.
It is uncertain whether any of the arrests will lead to trial, and convictions of British soldiers for war crimes are extremely rare.
However, the arrests come at a time when the activities of special forces in Afghanistan are under separate scrutiny in a public inquiry examining allegations of the killing of 80 Afghans by the unit.
The identities of the accused soldiers are not publicly known, and it is likely that their identities will be kept confidential if any proceedings are brought before the military court.
Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS), based in Hereford, typically operates in complete secrecy, prepared for high-risk missions behind enemy lines and in locations where the UK officially denies military presence.
Ministers and government officials refuse to comment on their activities, even unofficially, and their operations have been ongoing since the 1980s.