THE Ministry of Defence has said a BBC programme investigating deaths during counter-insurgency operations carried out by the SAS, which is based in Herefordshire, "jumps to unjustified conclusions".
The Panorama investigation reportedly uncovered 54 suspicious killings carried out by one British SAS unit on a six-month tour of Afghanistan, where soldiers were tasked with targeting Taliban leaders and bomb-making networks in 2010-11.
It also claimed that senior officers did not report the alleged murders and did not disclose the evidence held by UK Special Forces to the military police.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it believes the Panorama programme “jumps to unjustified conclusions from allegations that have already been fully investigated”.
The MoD added that “two Service Police operations carried out extensive and independent investigation into allegations about the conduct of UK forces in Afghanistan”.
It said neither investigation “found sufficient evidence to prosecute” and added that “insinuating otherwise is irresponsible, incorrect and puts our brave armed forces personnel at risk both in the field and reputationally”.
The MoD said it stands open to considering new evidence.
Panorama SAS Death Squads Exposed: A British War Crime? airs on BBC One on Tuesday at 9pm.
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