KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has called for accountability following explosive testimony by former British special forces about alleged war crimes committed by their comrades in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Bennett described the revelations in a recent BBC Panorama investigation as “shocking” and urged justice for the victims and their families.
The BBC report features testimony from several ex-soldiers who broke years of silence to speak out about unlawful killings carried out by UK special forces. According to the veterans, British troops killed unarmed civilians in their sleep and executed blindfolded detainees.
One former soldier who served in Afghanistan recalled an incident in which troops “handcuffed a young boy and shot him. He was a child, not even close to fighting age.” He added that the killing of detainees by British special forces “became routine.”
Allegations of war crimes involving British forces in Afghanistan have circulated for years, and formal investigations are ongoing. However, these inquiries have yet to produce any charges or meaningful justice for the victims.
