ALBAWABA - British military police have arrested five Special Air Service (SAS) soldiers on suspicion of alleged war crimes in Syria, according to media reports on Tuesday.
The troops from the special force might face murder charges for the death of a suspected militant in Syria two years ago. According to reports, the troops used excessive force and should have arrested the individual. The military claims he presented a threat and planned to carry out a suicide assault.
A spokesperson of the British Ministry of Defence stated: "We hold our personnel to the highest standards and any allegations of wrongdoing are taken seriously. Where appropriate, any criminal allegations are referred to the service police for investigation".
The five SAS soldiers are accused of using excessive force in the event, where some officials stated that the soldiers should have arrested the alleged ISIS militant instead of killing him, but the troops involved reject this, claiming they believed the dead militant imposed a serious threat and hence justified his shooting.
It is unclear whether any of the arrests will result in a prosecution since war crimes convictions of British soldiers are extremely unusual. However, the arrests come at a time when the SAS's conduct in Afghanistan is being investigated separately in a public inquiry into allegations that the force killed 80 Afghans.
The SAS has been involved in Syria for the past decade, fighting ISIS secretly and assisting the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish force supported by Western countries that is mainly stationed in the country's northeast.
Matt Tonroe, a SAS soldier, and US commando Jonathan Dunbar were killed by friendly fire in Manbij, northern Syria, during a joint operation against ISIS in 2018. They were killed when an explosive carried by a fellow soldier went off.
Based in Hereford, the SAS normally operates in complete secrecy and is prepared to carry out perilous missions behind enemy lines and in areas where the UK does not openly acknowledge a military presence.
