Full Breakdown
Allegations of SAS Misconduct in Afghanistan Surface in Ongoing Inquiry
7/14/2026, 8:29:47 PM
Core Allegations and Evidence
A judge-led inquiry chaired by appeal-court judge Sir Charles Haddon-Cave is examining claims that members of the United Kingdom’s Special Air Service (SAS) engaged in unlawful conduct during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Witnesses described detainees being placed on the prongs of forklift trucks, the vehicles then accelerated and braked so the prisoners fell off. The inquiry also heard evidence of night-raids in Helmand province that resulted in the deaths of three unarmed farmers from the village of Rahim, and of “kill lists” used to target civilians.
Background and Context
The investigation was launched after multiple reports of civilian executions in night raids by SAS soldiers. Earlier media accounts have highlighted a “culture of exceptionalism” within the regiment, suggesting that standard army rules on the moral conduct of operations were not applied to the SAS.
Key Figures and Groups
- Christopher Green – former information-operations officer (Jan-Sept 2012) and whistle-blower who testified about the forklift incidents and the lack of access to operational video (“gun tapes”).
- Monica Grenfell – former kitchen and store staff member (2015-2018) who provided firsthand accounts of the regiment’s atmosphere and relayed a soldier’s bragging about forklift abuse.
- Bebe Hazrata – mother of the three Rahim brothers killed in the 2012 raid; received a cash payment from the Ministry of Defence.
- Sir Charles Haddon-Cave – Lord Justice and chair of the inquiry.
Data and Statistics
- The Ministry of Defence paid Bebe Hazrata £3,634 in cash, described as an “assistance payment” to “calm local atmospherics.”
- The three victims were identified as innocent farmers; the incident occurred in 2012 during a SAS night raid in Helmand.
- Grenfell’s testimony covers the period 2015-2018, describing the SAS training camp environment.
Official Statements and Responses
The Ministry of Defence characterized the cash transfer to Hazrata’s family as an “assistance payment” rather than compensation, intended to mitigate local tensions. The inquiry chair, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, has not issued a public statement on the specific allegations but is overseeing the closed-hearing process.
Criticism and Opposition
Multiple witnesses described the SAS as operating under a chain of command that “did not place the same level of significance on the moral domain.” Green reported being labeled a “Taliban-loving apologist” and instructed by a senior commander in Helmand to cease questioning SAS tactics. Grenfell described the camp atmosphere as “coarse and feral,” noting that the regiment’s two main units “hated each other” and that soldiers bragged about abusive practices.
On-the-Ground Reports
Green recounted that the three Rahim brothers were shot after a “deliberate detention operation had gone wrong,” with troops claiming self-defence. Grenfell recalled a soldier telling her, “I would put prisoners on a forklift, raise it up and drive very fast so that they fell off.” She expressed being “appalled” that the man thought the act was “fun.”
Conflicting Reports and Gaps
The Ministry’s description of the cash transfer as an “assistance payment” contrasts with interpretations that it functions as an admission of guilt for killing the wrong people. Green was denied access to the “gun tapes” documenting the operations, a refusal he described as “an admission of guilt.” No video evidence has been released to corroborate or refute the forklift claims.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It was something they did for fun doing this and jamming on the brakes so they fell off,” — witness recounting SAS soldier (source 1)
- “is the British army [which has] been losing wars for the last twenty plus years … restored to being a winning organisation rather than a losing one” — Christopher Green (source 1)
- “I specifically recall him telling me that he would put prisoners on a forklift, raise it up and drive very fast so that they fell off.” — Monica Grenfell (source 5)
- “It is a very unusual policy and to my mind it was an admission of guilt that we had killed the wrong people and that these people were not actually Taliban commanders,” — Christopher Green (source 4)
What’s Next
The inquiry remains ongoing, with further testimony expected under the direction of Lord Justice Haddon-Cave. No definitive timetable for conclusions or recommendations has been announced.
