Britain Finds 97 Million Documents, Delaying Afghanistan Killing Inquiry
Britain’s Ministry of Defence has identified 97 million previously undisclosed documents, some of which may be linked to an investigation into allegations that British special forces unlawfully killed people in Afghanistan.
The development could further delay the inquiry, which was established in 2023 and was originally expected to publish an initial report within 18 months. Nearly four years on, it has yet to release any findings.
According to a letter from the Ministry of Defence’s lawyers published on the inquiry’s website, the ministry told the inquiry board this month that the documents were part of a large data set, the bulk of which was expected to fall outside the scope of the investigation.
Charles Haddon-Cave, the head of the inquiry, described the late discovery of documents potentially relevant to the case as “concerning and regrettable.” He warned that if the documents were not identified and handled quickly, the inquiry’s work, which he said had now reached an advanced stage, would face further delays.
At a hearing on Friday, the Ministry of Defence is expected to be asked to guarantee that any relevant documents will be identified and disclosed swiftly, and that such a situation will not happen again. The ministry declined to comment ahead of the hearing.
The inquiry was launched after a BBC investigation reported that members of the SAS, during the war in Afghanistan more than a decade ago, had killed people under suspicious circumstances in 54 cases. The SAS is part of Britain’s army special forces, and the case concerns the conduct of those troops during military missions in Afghanistan.
