Latest news with #UKSpecialForces
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Armed Forces minister at time of Afghan data leak admits he and other officials 'let the country down badly'
The Armed Forces minister at the time of the Afghan data leak last night admitted that he and other officials had 'let the country down badly'. James Heappey's rare mea culpa came after other ministers sought to distance themselves from the catalogue of errors and failures to inform Parliament about what went wrong. Mr Heappey was minister when the data breach – putting thousands of Afghans on a Taliban 'kill list' – was uncovered in 2023 and when the super-injunction to keep it secret was granted. The former Conservative MP, who gave up his seat at last year's election, also defended the official responsible for the leak, which occurred 18 months before it was discovered. A military officer working for United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF), accidentally emailed the database of 18,714 Afghans to someone, thinking he was sending just 150 names to be checked for possible relocation to Britain. It emerged yesterday the leak also included British Special Forces officers and MI6 spies. The officer was moved to a new role but not sacked. In a 25-message-long thread on X, Mr Heappey said: 'It was gut-wrenching to find out that someone in the Ministry of Defence had screwed up so awfully although I came to find subsequently they were incredibly dedicated to those we served with in Afghanistan. 'Few had done more to get people who served alongside our Special Forces out of Afghanistan. 'It is incredibly unfair that someone who'd done so much good and changed so many lives deservedly for the better, should be responsible. 'But the worst part of all, of course, was the mortal danger we feared this breach presented to applicants whose details had been compromised. The intelligence assessment was clear: if the Taliban got their hands on the list, violent and even lethal reprisal was likely. 'The Ministry of Defence was magnificent in response to it all. But on this breach, we let the country down badly.' Mr Heappey said he was not involved in setting up any of the injunctions surrounding the data leak, but he backed the decisions to impose them. He added that issues arising from the breach resulted in fierce arguments between ministers and 'some pretty choice words' in meetings. The leak led to the creation of a secret Afghan relocation scheme – the Afghanistan Response Route (ARR) – in April 2024. Its existence was revealed on Tuesday when the near-two-year super-injunction was lifted. Yesterday former home secretary Suella Braverman and Tory justice spokesman Robert Jenrick said they strongly opposed the plan to bring more than 24,000 Afghans to Britain. It was also reported that those in the Treasury, plus the likes of Sir James Cleverly, the foreign secretary at the time, and Michael Gove, the then-communities secretary, were against it. Key figures yet to break cover include a former Special Forces chief, a Chief of the Defence Staff and Sir Grant Shapps, the defence secretary at the time the injunction was upgraded to a super-injunction and the decision was taken to launch the ARR. General Sir Gwyn Jenkins was director of Special Forces at the time of the leak. In August 2023, when it was discovered, Sir Gwyn was invited to a Cobra meeting in Whitehall. Asked by a minister if he should resign, he reportedly replied: 'Certainly not.' Downing Street has been forced to defend Sir Gwyn's role this week, putting out a statement saying he had 'no role in any aspect of the Afghan resettlement schemes'. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was Chief of the Defence Staff when the leak was discovered and when it occurred the previous year. The same minister who asked if Sir Gwyn would resign also asked if Sir Tony was going to fall on his sword, and was similarly rebuffed.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UK officer who oversaw rejections of Afghan asylum claims could be linked to war crimes inquiry, High Court hears
The UK special forces officer in charge of assessing resettlement applications from Afghan commandos may have been connected to an ongoing inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by British troops, the High Court has heard. Thousands of applications from individuals with credible links to two Afghan elite commando units CF33 and ATF444 were rejected by the Ministry of Defence, despite the soldiers being paid and trained by the British. Some of the Afghan commandos who applied for sanctuary in Britain served alongside the UK special forces units that are at the centre of the war crimes inquiry. The former soldiers were left at the mercy of the Taliban, with some being murdered because of their service with the British. The MoD is undertaking a review of some 2,000 applications of Afghans linked to the units, after The Independent, along with Lighthouse Reports, Sky News and the BBC exposed how they were being denied help. The review comes amid an ongoing inquiry into alleged war crimes committed on UK special forces raids between 2010 and 2013. Members of the UKSF have been accused of killing unarmed Afghans and planting weapons on them. It has emerged that UK special forces had power over the UK sanctuary applications of Afghan allies who could be potential witnesses to the inquiry. MoD caseworkers would refer applications to a UKSF liaison officer, who would make further enquiries about the Afghans' connections to special forces soldiers. A legal challenge is being brought over how the MoD is assessing the applications from these two units, known as The Triples. The High Court heard on Thursday that a UKSF liaison officer who had power over the resettlement applications was also connected with matters being probed by the Afghan war crimes inquiry. In a summary of evidence heard in a closed hearing, the MoD confirmed that 'because of the role(s) he held at the relevant time, the UKSF liaison officer may have had some connection to the matters within the scope of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan'. It continued: 'He will through the nature of his role(s) in UKSF have liaised with Operation Northmoor '. Operation Northmoor was a Royal Military Police investigation that looked into 11 separate special forces raids in Afghanistan. Though allegations of bias were raised in the court case, the MoD said an internal investigation 'found no evidence of bias or hidden motives on the part of the UKSF liaison officer'. Instead they said that the UKSF officer's 'approach to decision-making was lax and unprofessional'. They found that the officer would make more thorough enquiries in relation to some Afghan applicants and not others. He also told UKSF units that if they didn't reply to his enquiries about certain Afghan applicants he would assume that the unit had no relevant information and would reject the application. The UKSF officer also reached 'decisions far too quickly', the MoD said, and would focus on the Afghan soldiers' seniority rather than their eligibility. Documents submitted to the High Court revealed that the UKSF liaison officer was replaced following a January 2024 meeting between senior civil servants and then-Veterans minister Johnny Mercer who presented his concerns about bias in the process. In February 2024, ministers announced a review into how Triples applications had been handled after identifying decisions were 'inconsistent' and 'not robust'. In documents submitted by the MoD to the High Court, it was revealed that by May 2022 caseworkers assessing Triples applications were referring them to UKSF personnel for input. The court heard that the senior civil servant in charge of Afghan resettlement applications to the MoD, Natalie Moore, was concerned about how decisions were being made as early as October 2023. She commissioned an internal review into the process, which identified failings in the decision making but did not find evidence of bias related to the Afghan war crimes inquiry. In a witness statement, Ms Moore said that she became concerned about the 'changes in decision making approach at a time when an identified individual became UKSF liaison officer'. The liaison officer oversaw decisions during a 'sprint' to clear a backlog of over 5,000 applications in the summer of 2023. During this time there were between 22 and 43 caseworkers and just one UKSF liaison officer to give input on the decisions, the court heard. Mr Justice Dingemans put to the MoD that the process 'was inevitably bound to fail' with just one UKSF officer dealing with so many cases. The court heard that during the summer 'sprint' to speed through applications some 1585 cases were rejected. Ms Moore also said that she had recently been made aware about internal concerns regarding UKSF's handling of cases from as early as October 2022. She told the court that 'from summer 2022 lax procedures were being followed by UKSF that led to large numbers [of Triples cases] being rejected'. The MoD realised that their caseworkers were 'overly reliant' on UKSF personnel, and were 'not consistently exercising their own independent judgement'. The government admitted that this led to UKSF personnel determining resettlement applications and rejecting them. However Ms Moore said she believed incorrect decisions on Triples' cases 'arose from the poor decision-making process' rather than bias of the UKSF. Thomas de la Mare KC, for the claimant, said that the rejections amounted to 'effectively a blanket practice'. The hearing is due to conclude on Friday, with a decision expected in writing at a later date.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
General accused of locking away SAS war crimes evidence is made navy chief
A general accused of failing to report evidence of war crimes committed by the SAS in Afghanistan has been appointed as the new head of the Royal Navy. Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins – the first Royal Marine to become First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff – replaces Adm Sir Ben Key, who was removed from it last week while under investigation over allegations of misconduct. However, he has become the focus of controversy this week amid reports that he oversaw the rejection of resettlement claims made by Afghan troops who served with UK special forces. Jenkins also led UK Special Forces (UKSF) in Afghanistan when alleged war crimes were committed and which are the subject of a public inquiry looking specifically at the period between mid-2010 and mid-2013. The BBC's Panorama reported that he had appointed a UKSF officer under his command to assess the Afghan commando applications to resettle in Britain after special forces headquarters was given a controversial veto. Thousands of applications from individuals with credible evidence of service with Afghan special forces were then rejected, according to the investigative programme. It was also previously reported that Jenkins had been warned in writing in 2011 that SAS soldiers were claiming to have executed handcuffed detainees in Afghanistan. Instead of referring the details to military police, he was reported to have placed it in a classified dossier and locked it in a safe. The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment. The general had been in line to become the UK's national security adviser until Keir Starmer last year cancelled the appointment made by his predecessor, Rishi Sunak. John Healey, the defence secretary, said on Thursday that Jenkins was 'a proven leader with a distinguished career in both the military and at the core of government'. 'I know he will deliver in this pivotal role, making Britain secure at home and strong abroad,' he added. In a statement, Jenkins said: 'Throughout my career, I have always been motivated by the vital role the Royal Navy has in keeping our nation safe. 'To do that now, we need to accelerate our return to a war fighting force that is ready for conflict, expand our modernisation efforts and deliver the Royal Navy our nation needs.' The Chief of the Defence Staff, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, described Jenkins as one of the outstanding Royal Marines of his generation, who brought 'a wealth of operational and organisational expertise'. 'In a more dangerous and demanding world, Gen Jenkins has the instincts and ambition needed to continue the modernisation of the Royal Navy, ensuring it can meet future threats and continue to safeguard our nation's security and prosperity,' Radakin said. Jenkins was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1990. After becoming a colonel, he was deployed for 12 months to Afghanistan, for which he was awarded an OBE, and returned to the UK in 2012 as the military assistant to the prime minister, David Cameron. After two years, he was promoted to brigadier and took up a civilian appointment in the Cabinet Office as the deputy national security adviser for conflict. After returning to the military in 2017, he took command of 3 Commando Brigade, overseeing operational deployments around the world, and was promoted to major general in 2019. In August 2022 he was appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff and promoted to general. Since August 2024, he has been the strategic adviser to the defence secretary. The appointment was made as the activities of UK special forces in Afghanistan came under the spotlight again this week, after former personnel accused colleagues of committing war crimes there and in Iraq, making the allegation that they executed civilians including a child. Members of the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Royal Navy's elite special forces regiment, are accused for the first time, along with soldiers from the SAS. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the department was fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan. 'It is not appropriate for the MoD to comment on allegations which may be within the scope of the statutory inquiry, or to speculate on outcomes,' they added.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Top UK Special Forces general oversaw blocking of Afghan 'war-crime' witnesses to Britain
A top general who failed to report evidence of alleged SAS war crimes in Afghanistan later oversaw the rejection of hundreds of UK resettlement applications from Afghan commandos who served with the elite regiment, BBC Panorama can reveal. Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins led UK Special Forces (UKSF) in Afghanistan at a time when alleged war crimes were committed. He later appointed a UKSF officer under his command, who had also served in Afghanistan, to assess the Afghan commando applications after special forces headquarters was given a controversial veto over them. Thousands of applications from individuals with credible evidence of service with Afghan Special Forces, including the units known as the Triples, were then rejected, leaving many of the former commandos at the mercy of the Taliban. The rejections are controversial because they came at a time when a judge-led public inquiry in the UK had begun investigating the SAS for alleged war crimes on operations on which the Triples were present. If the Afghan commandos were in the UK, they could be called as witnesses - but the inquiry has no power to compel testimony from foreign nationals who are overseas. Some of those denied visas were subsequently tortured and killed by the Taliban, according to former colleagues, family members and lawyers. According to internal emails and testimony from within the Ministry of Defence (MoD), obtained by Panorama, the UK Special Forces officer appointed by Gen Jenkins stood over civil service caseworkers from the resettlement scheme and instructed them to reject the Triples applications, one after another, on what sources described as spurious grounds. A senior government source close to the process told the BBC that the UK Special Forces officer "would never have acted without direction", adding that "everything would have gone through Gwyn Jenkins". At the time, in 2021-22, Gen Jenkins was the head of all UK Special Forces. He is now the chief strategic adviser to the Defence Secretary John Healey and is tipped to take over as First Sea Lord - the head of the Royal Navy. Gen Jenkins was made aware of allegations that the SAS was committing extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan, but he failed to report the allegations to military police - Panorama has previously revealed - despite a legal obligation to do so. The suspected unlawful killings continued. Panorama has now heard eyewitness testimony from veterans who served in UK Special Forces detailing alleged war crimes stretching over more than a decade and involving the SBS as well as the SAS. Gen Jenkins did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on this story. The MoD responded on his behalf. It said in a statement that there is no evidence it has tried to prevent former Afghan troops giving evidence to the Inquiry and that "anyone can provide evidence… no matter where in the world they are". The MoD added that it was "fully committed to delivering on our pledge to relocate and resettle eligible Afghans and their families to the UK". "Each resettlement application is decided on its own merits against the criteria outlined in the ARAP [Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy] and immigration rules," the statement said. The rejections of the Triples applications left caseworkers from the ARAP scheme questioning the validity of the process, given that many of the applications contained compelling evidence of service alongside British special forces. Hundreds of rejections have since been overturned following a government review. A letter obtained by Panorama shows that concerns were raised among cabinet ministers in January 2024 over the existence of the UK Special Forces' veto over the Triples applications. The then Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer wrote to senior Conservatives to say the role of UKSF in denying the applications was "deeply inappropriate" and "a significant conflict of interest, that should be obvious to all". He had been compelled to write, he added, because he had been shown evidence "that 5 members of these units have been killed having been rejected for resettlement". Mr Mercer, who served alongside the SBS in Afghanistan before becoming an MP, went on to warn that the role of UKSF in the process had a "very high chance of being exposed by the Afghan Inquiry", which could "lead to serious questions of all those Ministers involved in the process". The Triples units - so-called because their designations were CF 333 and ATF 444 - were set up, trained, and paid by UK Special Forces and supported the SAS and SBS on operations targeting Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. When the country fell to the Taliban in 2021, they were judged to be in grave danger of reprisal and were entitled to apply for resettlement to the UK. But, according to MoD documents obtained by Panorama, thousands of ARAP applications containing credible evidence of service alongside UK Special Forces were subsequently rejected. BBC Panorama first revealed last year that it had been UK Special Forces - the very force that trained and served with the Triples - that rejected them. "We heard some of our Triples were already killed by the Taliban," said Jumakhan Joya, a former Afghan special forces commanding officer. "Some of them are in jail in a Taliban prison. Some of them have already been disabled by the Taliban. They're breaking their hands, their legs, their head," he said. Mr Joya told the BBC he believed that the existence of the public inquiry was the "only reason" their applications had been vetoed. The rejections and reported reprisals have outraged some former members of British special forces. "What's happened is horrendous. It is a betrayal and it shames us all," one former UK Special Forces officer told Panorama. Asked by Panorama about the government's rejection of Triples' applications, Bruce Houlder KC, who as a former director of service prosecutions was responsible for bringing charges against members of the armed forces, said the government must have known the Triples would have "highly relevant" evidence that would be "much easier to obtain" if they were in the UK. "I can't think of any fair reason why we should exclude people from their right to live in this country, which is extended to others, simply because they might be in possession of information which would embarrass special forces," Mr Houlder said. "If that is the reason, it's disreputable and it can't be supported in any way." Do you have information about this story that you want to share? Get in touch using SecureDrop, a highly anonymous and secure way of whistleblowing to the BBC which uses the TOR network. Or by using the Signal messaging app, an end-to-end encrypted message service designed to protect your data. SecureDrop or Signal: 0044 7714 956 936 Please note that the SecureDrop link will only work in a Tor browser. For information on keeping secure and anonymous, here's some advice on how to use SecureDrop. It's proved a really important way for people to get in touch with us in the past. Ex-UK Special Forces break silence on 'war crimes' by colleagues
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Top UK Special Forces general oversaw blocking of Afghan 'war-crime' witnesses to Britain
A top general who failed to report evidence of alleged SAS war crimes in Afghanistan later oversaw the rejection of hundreds of UK resettlement applications from Afghan commandos who served with the elite regiment, BBC Panorama can Sir Gwyn Jenkins led UK Special Forces (UKSF) in Afghanistan at a time when alleged war crimes were committed. He later appointed a UKSF officer under his command, who had also served in Afghanistan, to assess the Afghan commando applications after special forces headquarters was given a controversial veto over of applications from individuals with credible evidence of service with Afghan Special Forces, including the units known as the Triples, were then rejected, leaving many of the former commandos at the mercy of the rejections are controversial because they came at a time when a judge-led public inquiry in the UK had begun investigating the SAS for alleged war crimes on operations on which the Triples were the Afghan commandos were in the UK, they could be called as witnesses - but the inquiry has no power to compel testimony from foreign nationals who are of those denied visas were subsequently tortured and killed by the Taliban, according to former colleagues, family members and to internal emails and testimony from within the Ministry of Defence (MoD), obtained by Panorama, the UK Special Forces officer appointed by Gen Jenkins stood over civil service caseworkers from the resettlement scheme and instructed them to reject the Triples applications, one after another, on what sources described as spurious grounds.A senior government source close to the process told the BBC that the UK Special Forces officer "would never have acted without direction", adding that "everything would have gone through Gwyn Jenkins". At the time, in 2021-22, Gen Jenkins was the head of all UK Special Forces. He is now the chief strategic adviser to the Defence Secretary John Healey and is tipped to take over as First Sea Lord - the head of the Royal Jenkins was made aware of allegations that the SAS was committing extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan, but he failed to report the allegations to military police - Panorama has previously revealed - despite a legal obligation to do so. The suspected unlawful killings has now heard eyewitness testimony from veterans who served in UK Special Forces detailing alleged war crimes stretching over more than a decade and involving the SBS as well as the Jenkins did not respond to the BBC's request for comment on this story. The MoD responded on his behalf. It said in a statement that there is no evidence it has tried to prevent former Afghan troops giving evidence to the Inquiry and that "anyone can provide evidence… no matter where in the world they are".The MoD added that it was "fully committed to delivering on our pledge to relocate and resettle eligible Afghans and their families to the UK"."Each resettlement application is decided on its own merits against the criteria outlined in the ARAP [Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy] and immigration rules," the statement said. The rejections of the Triples applications left caseworkers from the ARAP scheme questioning the validity of the process, given that many of the applications contained compelling evidence of service alongside British special of rejections have since been overturned following a government review.A letter obtained by Panorama shows that concerns were raised among cabinet ministers in January 2024 over the existence of the UK Special Forces' veto over the Triples then Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer wrote to senior Conservatives to say the role of UKSF in denying the applications was "deeply inappropriate" and "a significant conflict of interest, that should be obvious to all".He had been compelled to write, he added, because he had been shown evidence "that 5 members of these units have been killed having been rejected for resettlement".Mr Mercer, who served alongside the SBS in Afghanistan before becoming an MP, went on to warn that the role of UKSF in the process had a "very high chance of being exposed by the Afghan Inquiry", which could "lead to serious questions of all those Ministers involved in the process".The Triples units - so-called because their designations were CF 333 and ATF 444 - were set up, trained, and paid by UK Special Forces and supported the SAS and SBS on operations targeting Taliban leaders in the country fell to the Taliban in 2021, they were judged to be in grave danger of reprisal and were entitled to apply for resettlement to the according to MoD documents obtained by Panorama, thousands of ARAP applications containing credible evidence of service alongside UK Special Forces were subsequently rejected. BBC Panorama first revealed last year that it had been UK Special Forces - the very force that trained and served with the Triples - that rejected them."We heard some of our Triples were already killed by the Taliban," said Jumakhan Joya, a former Afghan special forces commanding officer. "Some of them are in jail in a Taliban prison. Some of them have already been disabled by the Taliban. They're breaking their hands, their legs, their head," he Joya told the BBC he believed that the existence of the public inquiry was the "only reason" their applications had been vetoed. The rejections and reported reprisals have outraged some former members of British special forces. "What's happened is horrendous. It is a betrayal and it shames us all," one former UK Special Forces officer told by Panorama about the government's rejection of Triples' applications, Bruce Houlder KC, who as a former director of service prosecutions was responsible for bringing charges against members of the armed forces, said the government must have known the Triples would have "highly relevant" evidence that would be "much easier to obtain" if they were in the UK."I can't think of any fair reason why we should exclude people from their right to live in this country, which is extended to others, simply because they might be in possession of information which would embarrass special forces," Mr Houlder said."If that is the reason, it's disreputable and it can't be supported in any way." Do you have information about this story that you want to share?Get in touch using SecureDrop, a highly anonymous and secure way of whistleblowing to the BBC which uses the TOR by using the Signal messaging app, an end-to-end encrypted message service designed to protect your or Signal: 0044 7714 956 936Please note that the SecureDrop link will only work in a Tor browser. For information on keeping secure and anonymous, here's some advice on how to use proved a really important way for people to get in touch with us in the past.
