Five Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers have been arrested by British military police on suspicion of alleged war crimes in Syria. They could face murder charges in connection with the death of a suspected “militant” two years ago.
Reports on Tuesday suggested that SAS soldiers applied excessive force and should have arrested the suspect instead. Soldiers claimed he posed a threat and intended to carry out a terrorist attack. A defence spokesman stated:
We hold our personnel to the highest standards, and any allegations of wrongdoing are taken seriously. Where appropriate, any criminal allegations are referred to the service police for investigation.
According to the report, the SAS has been actively deployed in Syria for the past 10 years, fighting the Daesh terrorist group and supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This is not the first report of alleged crimes committed by SAS soldiers, as an independent enquiry into allegations of summary killings by British troops in Afghanistan was launched in March last year.
In December 2022, the UK Ministry of Defence commissioned an independent enquiry after a BBC TV documentary reported that SAS soldiers killed dozens of people during raids carried out by one of its squadrons in Helmand province in 2010-2011.
