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UK special forces veterans accuse colleagues of war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

7 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Former UK special forces personnel have accused colleagues of committing war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, including alleging that they executed civilians and a child.

Graphic accounts of routine executions of handcuffed prisoners and the killings of people in their sleep were handed to the BBC, which reported that weapons were planted during cover-ups.

Veterans who spoke to the BBC spoke of a “mob mentality” among some former colleagues who were described as “lawless” and exhibiting “serious psychopathic traits”.

“They handcuffed a young boy and shot him,” said one veteran of the SAS in Afghanistan. “He was clearly a child, not even close to fighting age.”

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

We were supposed to be better than this.

We were respected by other armed forces. This makes us as bad as the enemy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

I've known people who've joined the military and they come out the other side even bigger idiots than they were when they went in, only now they have superiority complexes.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Throw a bunch of barely adults with guns into a country where they trust nobody, get bombed by plain clothes enemies, and can barely communicate with the civilians… and you’ll always get war crimes I think.

Respectable military isn’t quite an oxymoron, but it’s close once you give them so few chances to stay grounded.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I get that - but SF (and especially SAS and SBS) are supposed to be the best of the best. We used to* look up them as an example of what you 'could' be.

*During my service 80-97.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

No, Special Forces are supposed to be the most ruthless, and the most deniable. They’re there to do the things even the military are ashamed of. You don’t get good people doing that job. You get the right dirty bastards.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Well in that case I will stop trying to tell you the effects of military service, my ruminating can’t compete with actual knowledge

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

This happened and not just with UK troops