General accused of Afghan cover-up takes helm of Royal Navy
The general succeeds Admiral Ben Key, who stepped down last week amid an ongoing misconduct investigation. Media reports suggest that the probe centers on Key's alleged affair with a more junior female colleague.
Jenkins came under scrutiny two years ago when the BBC reported that the then-Vice-Chief of the Defense Staff had failed to forward evidence of Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers executing handcuffed detainees in Afghanistan to the Royal Military Police.
At the time, Jenkins did not respond to the allegations. The UK Ministry of Defense stated that it was 'not appropriate for us to comment on allegations which may be within the scope of the statutory inquiry.'
In April 2024, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Jenkins—then Vice-Chief of the Defense Staff—as National Security Adviser. However, the appointment was later reversed by the incoming government led by Keir Starmer. While Starmer declined to comment on individual appointments, he emphasized the need for an 'open and transparent process' for future nominations. Media outlets attributed the reversal to Jenkins' implication in the ongoing inquiry.
Earlier this month, BBC Panorama reported that Jenkins had overseen the rejection of hundreds of relocation applications submitted by Afghan commandos who had served alongside British forces and possessed direct knowledge of UK military operations. The report stated that these rejections effectively blocked key witnesses from reaching Britain and testifying in the public inquiry into the Afghan conflict.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
9 hours ago
- Russia Today
No weapons for Kiev over Christian church persecution
Kiev's persecution of the country's largest Christian church is reason enough for Washington to halt military assistance to Ukraine, US Representative Anna Paulina Luna has said, pledging to personally oppose any future weapons shipments. The Florida Republican accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of banning the Orthodox Church in a post on X on Friday, apparently referring to ongoing actions against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) – the largest religious organization in the country. 'I can promise there will be no weapons funding for you,' wrote Luna, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 'We are not your piggy bank,' she added, calling on Zelensky to 'negotiate for peace' instead. Oh man. The Ukraine bots are big mad about this one. 'It WaS OKaY bc IT waS Russian OrThODox.' 🤡 All of a sudden these pro-war shills are religion experts and also telepathic, as they are CERTAIN not one Christian went to those churches to worship God. Imagine if we did that in… Kiev has accused the UOC of maintaining ties with Moscow to justify its crackdown, although the church declared its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in May 2022. Responding to criticism in the comments under her post, Luna added, 'The Ukraine bots are big mad about this one.' 'All of a sudden these pro-war shills are religion experts and also telepathic, as they are CERTAIN not one Christian went to those churches to worship God. Imagine if we did that in the States. Hypocrites,' she said. According to Ukraine Oversight, an official US government portal tracking aid disbursements, Washington allocated a total of $182.8 billion in assistance to Ukraine between 2022 and the end of 2024. In May, President Donald Trump expressed concern over what he described as billions of dollars being wasted on Ukraine aid. He said Congress was 'very upset about it' and that lawmakers were demanding answers about how the money was being spent. Earlier this week, the Pentagon reportedly halted shipments of certain weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, citing the need to review remaining stockpiles as part of Trump's 'America First' policy. Kiev's persecution of the canonical Orthodox Church has received limited attention from US politicians and public figures. In late May, American journalist Tucker Carlson raised the issue in an interview with former Ukrainian MP Vadim Novinsky. 'I think very few Americans understand the degree to which the Ukrainian government under Zelensky has persecuted the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,' Carlson said during the broadcast. Years of state pressure on the church have included the arrests of clergymen and raids on monasteries, including a high-profile incident at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, where religious relics are kept. Last year, Zelensky signed legislation allowing the government to ban religious organizations deemed affiliated with so-called 'aggressor' states, effectively targeting the UOC. Earlier this week, he also stripped the church's senior bishop, Metropolitan Onufry, of his citizenship, citing his previously acquired Russian passport.
Russia Today
11 hours ago
- Russia Today
German MPs demand more money for Ukraine
A group of German lawmakers from the Green Party has called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to urgently increase military aid to Ukraine, warning that the current level of funding is insufficient in light of a slowdown in US arms deliveries, according to a letter obtained by Bild. The letter, signed by Bundestag deputies Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer and Anton Hofreiter, criticized the federal government's recently announced increase in military assistance from €7.1 billion to €8.3 billion. The lawmakers pointed to the US decision to pause certain weapons shipments to Kiev as a critical factor, arguing that Berlin should raise the figure to at least €8.5 billion and commit to maintaining that level through 2029. The Green MPs, who have been among Kiev's most vocal supporters in the Bundestag, reportedly said the government still had room to maneuver within the approved budget framework and argued that Germany's constitutional limits on debt spending could be sidestepped through special exemptions. Berlin has already sent Kiev almost €16 billion, including €11.2 billion in direct weapons supplies since the escalation of the conflict in 2022, making it the largest single state donor after the US and UK, according to Germany's Kiel Institute. The US reportedly paused deliveries of various critical munitions, including Patriot and Hellfire missiles, GMLRS rockets and 155mm artillery shells, under the Trump administration's 'America First' policy. The exact scale of the winddown remains unclear, as President Trump has insisted the US is still 'sending arms' to Kiev – while ensuring America retains enough stockpiles to defend itself and its allies. Chancellor Merz recently announced plans to increase Germany's overall military budget to €153 billion by 2029, up from €86 billion this year, and pledged to allocate 3.5% of GDP to defense under a new NATO framework to counter what he called a direct threat from Russia. The Kremlin has condemned the EU's militarization efforts and arms transfers to Kiev, describing the conflict as a NATO-led proxy war. President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Western concerns about Russian aggression as 'nonsense,' accusing NATO of using fear to justify ballooning military budgets and blaming the bloc's expansion and 'aggressive behavior' for fueling the crisis. Critics of Germany's government policy warn that continued arms spending could strain the national budget and further damage German industry, already suffering from rising energy costs, fallout from anti-Russia sanctions and the ongoing tariff standoff with the US. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party – which came second in the February elections but was excluded from forming a coalition – has called for an immediate halt to weapons shipments to Kiev and a resumption of energy cooperation with Moscow. On Friday, party leaders urged Merz to initiate direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pursue a negotiated settlement to the conflict to safeguard Germany's long-term national interests. The Kremlin has stated that it remains open to dialogue with Berlin, but stressed that it is up to the German leadership to take the first step, having previously cut ties. Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron – who had previously supported deploying French troops to Ukraine but recently softened his stance – held a phone call with Putin, their first direct contact in nearly three years.
Russia Today
18 hours ago
- Russia Today
BlackRock drops Ukraine fund
US investment holding BlackRock stopped its search for investors to back a multi-billion dollar fund for rebuilding Ukraine earlier this year, Bloomberg has reported. Interest reportedly dropped after President Donald Trump retook the White House. The fund was set to be unveiled at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome next week. It had been close to securing backing from firms supported by the governments of Germany, Italy, and Poland, the outlet wrote on Saturday, citing anonymous sources. Nevertheless, BlackRock reportedly decided to shelve the talks early this year 'due to a lack of interest amid increased uncertainty over Ukraine's future,' after the US changed its stance towards Kiev under the current administration. Trump has long promised to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and has sought avenues to reach a peace deal. He has also pushed European NATO allies to take over the burden of militarily supporting Ukraine. Earlier this week, Washington reportedly froze critical arms deliveries to Kiev to focus on replenishing its own stockpiles, although the US president has insisted some military aid still continues. The Trump administration 'was a notable absence from the fund's backers in December,' Bloomberg added. In March of last year, BlackRock vice chairman Philipp Hildebrand indicated that the Ukraine Development Fund was on track to secure at least $2.5 billion from private investors, countries and other grant lenders. A consortium of such investors could finance at least $15 billion towards reconstruction work in Ukraine, he said. However, a BlackRock spokesperson indicated that the firm is no longer engaged in 'any active mandate' with Kiev, having finished its pro-bono consulting work with the Ukraine Development Fund last year, Bloomberg wrote. The investment firm, which controls roughly $11.6 trillion in assets, owns substantial shares in military-industrial giants such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, among many others. Armaments produced by these firms, which are supplied to Kiev by its Western backers, have seen extensive use in the conflict. Moscow has repeatedly condemned foreign arms supplies to Kiev, arguing that they make pro-Ukrainian Western nations party to the conflict, which Russia views as a NATO proxy war. The Kremlin has stated that the recent freeze in US military aid to Kiev will accelerate settlement of the conflict.
