Connect with us

Published

2 months ago

on

Soldiers working within the UK’s special forces discussed concerns that Afghans who posed no threat were being murdered in raids against suspected Taliban insurgents, an inquiry has been told.

One soldier, who was reading operational reports of SAS actions, said in an email in 2011 that they feared that UK special forces seemed “beyond reproach”, with “a golden pass allowing them to get away with murder”.

Another soldier said they were aware of rumours of special forces soldiers using “dropped weapons” – which were munitions allegedly placed next to targets to give the impression they were armed when they were shot.

It was also suggested that the act was known as a “Mr Wolf” – supposedly a reference to the fixer “Winston Wolfe” from the film Pulp Fiction.

The claims come from hundreds of pages of documents detailing evidence given to a public inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by British special forces soldiers in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.

The independent inquiry was ordered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) after the BBC reported claims that SAS soldiers from one squadron had killed 54 people in suspicious circumstances during the war in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.

The inquiry is examining a number of night-time raids carried out by British forces from mid-2010 to mid-2013.

On Wednesday, it released evidence from seven UK special forces (UKSF) witnesses who gave their evidence in secret for national security reasons and cannot be named.

None of the soldiers who gave evidence to the inquiry, which opened in 2023, said they had witnessed any such behaviour themselves.

‘Fighting age males’

One of the soldiers, known only as N1799, told the inquiry they had raised concerns in 2011 about a unit referred to as UKSF1 after having a conversation about its operations with one of its members on a training course.

“During these operations it was said that ‘all fighting age males are killed’ on target regardless of the threat they posed, this included those not holding weapons,” their witness statement said.

“It was also indicated that ‘fighting age males’ were being executed on target, inside compounds, using a variety of methods after they had been restrained. In one case it was mentioned a pillow was put over the head of an individual before being killed with a pistol.”

The soldier said he was also informed that weapons were being “dropped” next to victims “to give the impression that a deceased individual had been armed when shot”, the inquiry heard.

Such a dropped weapon was colloquially known as a “Mr Wolf”, but N1799 stated he had “no idea at all” where the term came from.

Read more from Sky News:
Sauna users urged to hydrate after woman suffers heart attack
Boy, 14, stabbed to death on London bus

Counsel to the inquiry Oliver Glasgow KC asked: “When you heard it described as a ‘Mr Wolf’, was that used by one person or by more than one person or can you not remember?”

N1799 replied: “At least two or three people.”

Mr Glasgow continued: “Have you seen the film Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino, where the individual who introduces himself as Mr Wolf says ‘I’m Mr Wolf and I’m here to solve problems’? Do you remember that?

The witness said: “No, I don’t.”

Mr Glasgow said: “Well, it is probably not essential viewing for anyone, but that particular individual in that film, he acts to clear up problems and to make crimes go away, does he not?”

N1799 responded: “Right. I had not put two and two together.”

The inquiry heard that N1799 escalated their concerns to other senior officers who took them seriously.

But, questioned by Mr Glasgow on whether they had any concerns for their own personal wellbeing after making allegations, the witness said: “I did then and I still do now.”

‘Mud-slinging’

Another officer, referred to as N2107, emailed colleagues expressing his disbelief at summaries of operations which suggested detained suspects had been allowed back into compounds where they were then said to have picked up weapons and attempted to attack the unit.

Meanwhile, a special forces commanding officer told the inquiry he believed reporting allegations of murder to his counterpart in another unit may have been seen as “mud-slinging”.

He said there was an “at times fractious and competitive” relationship between his unit and the accused unit.

In one of the hearings, he was asked whether he thought about reporting the allegations to his direct counterpart within the unit, but said it was a “deliberate act” to report up rather than sideway as it may be seen as “mud-slinging”.

British military police have previously conducted several inquiries into allegations of misconduct by forces in Afghanistan, including those made against the SAS.

However, the MoD has said none found enough evidence for prosecutions.

The inquiry’s aim is to ascertain whether there was credible information of extra-judicial killings, whether investigations
by the military police years later into N1799’s concerns were properly conducted, and if unlawful killings were covered up.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

World

Sky News obtains first accounts of what happened inside Syrian cities shaken by bloody violence

Published

9 hours ago

on

March 17, 2025

By

Sky News obtains first accounts of what happened inside Syrian cities shaken by bloody violence

No checkpoint is the same, some want paperwork, others wave you through after a brief look inside – but from Damascus to Latakia, there are a lot of checkpoints, and in one way or another, you are checked every time.

It wasn’t like this just a month or two ago, but it is now after the most violent few days the country has seen since Bashar al Assad was forced from power in December last year.

We drove through cities like Jableh, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, almost unrecognisable now.

The bustling streets, markets and shops are silent, apart from the sirens of passing General Security convoys – their armed soldiers packed on the back of pick-up trucks.

The debris of battle is everywhere, buildings are burnt out and peppered with bullet holes, glass from smashed shopfront windows spills across the pavement and spent machine gun casings litter the streets.

DESTRUCTION IN JABLEH SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Cities like Jableh, on Syria’s Mediterranean Coast, are almost unrecognisable now

DESTRUCTION IN JABLEH SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
The debris of battle is everywhere after pro-Assad militia attacked the city

After three months of relatively peaceful times, things have dramatically changed here, all because of the events of 6, 7 and 8 March.

A Thursday, Friday, and Saturday that could determine Syria’s future.

Driving out of Jableh and over a bridge, we pass through another checkpoint, then through a deserted village, home to a community of Syrian Alawites. Shops and homes are destroyed, soldiers guard the roads in and out.

We are on our way to the Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria.

It’s also now home to as many as 10,000 Alawites who are now camping in and around the base.

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
The Hmeimim air base is home to the Russian military in Syria

gv russian airbase SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
The site is also now home to as many as 10,000 Alawites camping in and around the area

They are seeking shelter and protection, watched on by Russian soldiers who remain inside.

Some of the thousands are in tents or under makeshift cover, others are sleeping rough or in their cars.

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Thousands of people are in tents or under makeshift cover

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
One of many children displaced after her family were attacked by pro-Assad militia

photo label "woman in her car" SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Some are sleeping rough or in their cars

man sleeping in car SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies

I first visited the airbase last December – then it consisted of a small cluster of shops and restaurants, established over years to service the Russian personnel.

Now the shops are shuttered and the restaurants cleared of tables to allow the families to sleep.

As I approached the gates of the base, I was surrounded by people pushing against each other, trying to get to me to tell me stories of being burnt out of their houses, or of family members killed in front of their eyes.

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Crowds gather around Sky’s Stuart Ramsay to describe how their relatives were killed by pro-Assad forces

A young woman pulled me aside. “We need help, international help,” she whispered.

“We need international peacekeepers; my house was on fire.”

Explainer: Who are the Alawites?

The Alawites are a religious minority in Syria, originating from Shia Islam. The overthrown president Bashar al Assad belonged to the sect.

They make up around 10% of Syria’s population, which is majority Sunni, and mainly live in the country’s coastal regions.

During Assad’s reign, the Alawites made up a large part of his support base and held top posts in the army and security agencies.

Since his fall from power, many Alawites were fired from their jobs and some former soldiers who reconciled with the new authorities were killed.

Civilians have now been targeted in revenge killings by Sunni Muslim militants loyal to the new government, who have blamed Assad’s loyalists for attacks against the country’s new security forces in recent weeks.

The Alawites, along with Syria’s other minority communities, including Kurds, Christians and Druze, have said they are concerned about revenge attacks and are not convinced by the new government’s promise of an inclusive country.

In the crowd, I met Adiba Shehaidi. She’s sleeping rough outside the base after escaping her village, Ain al Arous.

“They attacked us, just like that, slaughtered us, our friends, our neighbours, our children, our relatives – our in-laws, all of them, were slaughtered. They stormed the houses, shooting…” she recounted her story of escape.

“What can we say? To the world, what can we say? What was our crime?” she cried.

screengrab from SN Ramsay VT from Syria about attacks against Alawite minority P 021451MO SYRIA CONFLICT RAMSAY 06 LONG VT4
Image:
People in mourning after killings

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Grieving relatives have described how their families were slaughtered

We were told that whole families had been killed with some buried in mass graves.

Not far away from the base, in the village of Al Sanobar – we found one. A mass grave consisting of two trenches, dug under the cover of darkness by villagers. They buried 80 people here.

Sticks had been placed in the earth to signal a body buried beneath. We are told a family of 17 are in one of the graves.

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
A mass grave in the village of Al-Sanobar

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Sticks have been placed in the earth to show where a body is buried

Further into the village, we came across a group of men digging more graves. They told us they had found the bodies of their families, friends, and neighbours littered on the streets and in houses.

So far, they have buried 223 people, all from this one village.

Map for SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites
Image:
Latakia, on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, is where pro-Assad fighters are accused of killing Alawite civilians

On trucks, the bodies wrapped in blankets and plastic were brought to their final resting place near their homes. Under a blistering sun a simple ceremony is held, then side by side they are buried.

These families have been devastated – their anguish obvious.

Read more:
Alawites take refuge from Syrian army
Government forces clash with Assad loyalists
Syria vows to investigate mass killings

Convoys of government security forces are now constantly patrolling all the areas where the killings took place, and they are trying to encourage the Alawites to return to their villages, saying it is now safe.

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Convoys of government security forces are patrolling all the areas where the killings took place

The head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate, told me what happened here was unacceptable and must not happen again.

He explained how Assad loyalists had attacked and killed soldiers, police officers, and civilians – filming it and posting it on social media. This, he said, led to “undisciplined groups” arriving to this part of Syria, acting “outside of the Ministry of Defence’s command”.

head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
The head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate, tells Sky’s Stuart Ramsay that Assad loyalists were to blame for the killings

head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Kunefate: What happened was unacceptable and must not happen again

“Among these groups were some with a questionable intent, many arrived with no clear instructions, simply coming to break the siege on the Ministry of Defence personnel and police,” Mr Kunefate told me.

“This resulted in chaos and a breakdown of discipline among the fighting groups that entered the coastal region.”

The scene of some of the worst fighting happened in the city of Jableh when the pro-Assad militia attacked. Much of the centre of town has been badly damaged in the fighting, and it is tense.

SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Security convoys patrol cities like Jableh, badly damaged during fighting with pro-Assad forces.

General Security convoys constantly patrol the city, home to Sunni civilians who were murdered like their Alawite neighbours.

Imad Bitar’s father Talal died after his car was fired upon by Assad fighters.

I met him in their family home where he told me he wants peace but believes it will only happen when Assad’s fighters are captured.

Imad Bitar whose father Talal died after his car was fired upon by Assad fighters. SN eyewitness from Stuart Ramsay about Syrian Alawites which features: Hmeimim air base, home to the Russian military in Syria; mass grave in Al-Sanobar; head of General Security, Mustafa Kunefate; various GVs of locals and case studies
Image:
Sunni civilians in the city of Jableh were also murdered by pro-Assad fighters, including Imad Bitar’s father Talal

“We must find a way to live together, our only demand now is for the remaining factions to leave Syria and for those responsible for the regime’s crimes to face a formal trial. It’s not about sectarian divisions, it’s about justice.”

This has been a difficult time for the new government trying to unite Syria.

The massacres of Alawites at the hands of militia puts President Ahmed al Sharaa’s unity project in jeopardy.

But if there is a positive from that dreadful weekend, it is that the government acknowledges the mistakes and is promising to bring those responsible to justice.

The World with Yalda Hakim at 9pm on Sky News will feature a series of special reports on Syria from our chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and special correspondent Alex Crawford.

Watch their latest report inside Al-Hol camp, where thousands of families affiliated to the former Islamic State group are being held by Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.

Continue Reading

World

Crew welcomed into International Space Station to replace astronauts stranded for nine months

Published

1 day ago

on

March 16, 2025

By

Crew welcomed into International Space Station to replace astronauts stranded for nine months

A crew has entered the International Space Station (ISS) to replace the astronauts who were stranded there for nine months.

A SpaceX capsule delivered four astronauts on Sunday on a mission to allow Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams – who have been on the ISS since June 2024 – to return home.

The Dragon craft, with the Crew-10 astronauts inside, docked with the orbiting laboratory at 4.04am UK time, around 29 hours after it had been launched on the top of the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Butch Wilmore (back row centre) and Suni Williams (back row right) celebrate with the rest of the astronauts replacing them on the International Space Station.
Image:
Butch Wilmore (back row centre) and Suni Williams (back row right) celebrate with the rest of the astronauts replacing them on the International Space Station.

pic: nasa
Image:
The replacement crew, including Russia’s Kirill Peskov (centre), were welcomed on board the International Space Station (ISS). Pic: NASA

NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, both military pilots, along with Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov, both former airline pilots, will spend the next six months at the space station.

Their mission will allow four members of Crew-9, which includes Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams, to return to Earth.

Astronauts on the ISS say they have requested ballot papers for the US election
Image:
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore during their unplanned nine month stay in space.
File pic: NASA/AP

It took several minutes for Dragon to safely dock at the ISS, in what is an automated process.

But there was about 1 hour and 45 minutes of additional safety checks before the hatch could be opened.

More on International Space Station

Related Topics:

Mr Wilmore swung open the space station’s hatch and rang the ship’s bell as the arrivals floated in one by one and were greeted with hugs and handshakes.

How they were stranded

Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams originally planned to go to space for just eight days but got stuck on the station after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft started experiencing problems.

Technical issues left them stranded, and various attempts to bring them home were unsuccessful.

The craft encountered so many problems that NASA insisted it return to Earth empty, leaving the pilots behind until now.

‘You can hardly even put it into words’

“It was a wonderful day. Great to see our friends arrive,” Ms Williams told Mission Control after the new astronauts had been welcomed aboard.

The moments after docking with Suni Williams, centre, finally facing the prospect of returning back to Earth. Pic: NASA/AP
Image:
The moments after docking with Suni Williams, centre, finally facing the prospect of returning back to Earth.
Pic: NASA/AP

The Astronauts, including Japan's Takuya Onishi, greeting one another after arrival on the International Space Station. Pic: NASA/AP
Image:
The astronauts, including Japan’s Takuya Onishi, greeting one another after arrival on the International Space Station.
Pic: NASA/AP

Speaking after the successful docking, Ms McClain added: “Crew-10 has had a great journey up here and I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out the window and we saw the space station for the first time.

“That is such an amazing journey. You can hardly even put it into words.”

Still of dragon capsule edging towards ISS before it docks. Pic: NASA
Image:
The dragon capsule was manoeuvred towards ISS before it docked. Pic: NASA

Rendezvous, Docking, Hatch Opening and Welcoming Remarks of the NASA/SpaceX Crew-10 Crew at the International Space Station Pic: NASA source: NASA TV
Image:
The view from the ISS as the Dragon capsule edged closer and docked. Pic: NASA

The journey back to Earth

The four newcomers will spend the next few days learning the station’s ins and outs from Mr Wilmore and Ms Williams.

Then the two of them will strap into their own capsule later in the week, one that has been up there since last year, to close out the unexpected extended mission.

The pair’s ride back arrived in late September with a downsized crew of two and two empty seats reserved for the leg back.

Rendezvous, Docking, Hatch Opening and Welcoming Remarks of the NASA/SpaceX Crew-10 Crew at the International Space Station Pic: NASA source: NASA TV
Image:
The Dragon capsule safely docked with the International Space Station. Pic: NASA

But more delays emerged when their replacements’ brand new capsule needed extensive battery repairs.

An older capsule took its place, pushing up their return by a couple of weeks to mid-March.

Read more from Sky News:
Four in five headteachers abused by parents
Trump kills at least 31 civilians in Red Sea
KT Tunstall’s musical reinvention

Weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule carrying them and two other astronauts will undock no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off Florida’s coast.

Continue Reading

World

At least 51 dead after nightclub fire in Kocani, North Macedonia

Published

1 day ago

on

March 16, 2025

By

At least 51 dead after nightclub fire in Kocani, North Macedonia

At least 51 people are reported to have died in a fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia.

The blaze broke out while a local pop band was performing at around 2.35am on Sunday in the town of Kocani – allegedly after fireworks were set off inside the venue, interior minister Panche Toshkovski told a news conference.

Although the public prosecutor’s office said the “number of victims and injured in the fire is being determined” – 100 people are thought to have been injured, Mr Toshkovski said.

They are being treated at Kocani General Hospital, where relatives have gathered to await more information, newspaper Nova Makedonija said.

The country’s prime minister Hristijan Mickoski is travelling to the scene, it added.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

Trending