'Golden pass' allowed UK soldiers to get away with killings in Afghanistan, says whistleblower

A public inquiry into alleged war crimes has revealed that UK Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan operated with a “golden pass” that allowed them to evade accountability for murder, according to a report A public inquiry into alleged war crimes has revealed that UK Special Forces soldiers in Afghanistan operated with a “golden pass” that allowed them to evade accountability for murder. According to the report, citing the witness, UK special forces in Afghanistan appeared “beyond reproach” and operated with a “golden pass allowing them to get away with murder”. In his witness statement, N1799 said the account provided by the UKSF member N1201 was in stark contrast to a briefing given by commanding officers months earlier, which asserted that “UKSF does not operate outside of the law.” Questioned by Glasgow on whether he had any concerns for his own personal wellbeing after making allegations against UKSF1, Independent quoted the witness as saying, “I did then and I still do now.” The counsel to the inquiry continued: “As to how that might be perceived by others within the wider UKSF community, is there a danger that you might be branded as a traitor?” N1799 replied: “Yes.” A different UKSF member, involved in overseeing an Afghan Partner Unit, said that Afghan counterparts felt they were being “treated like dogs” by UKSF1. Afghan families have accused UK special forces of running a “campaign of murder” against civilians, while senior officers and Ministry of Defence personnel allegedly sought to hinder thorough investigations.