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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.
The new allegations of war crimes span more than a decade, much longer than the three years currently being examined by a British public inquiry.
Members of the Special Boat Service (SBS), the Royal Navy’s elite special forces regiment, are accused for the first time, along with soldiers from the SAS – who have been in the spotlight of the inquiry.
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.”
The government has said that anyone with any evidence should contact the public inquiry.
Mike Martin, a Liberal Democrat MP and member of the defence select committee, said the accounts echoed those of Afghan families.
“This is the latest in a long series of evidence that we have heard relating to war crimes committed by British special forces in Afghanistan,” he told the BBC Today programme on Monday. “When we all joined the army and went overseas to serve, we did it because we were exercising legal judgment and exercising force in a legal way. And often when we did that we put ourselves in danger.”
He added: “To hear now that the elite soldiers were casting aside those rules deliberately lets us down.”
Panorama also claimed that David Cameron was repeatedly warned during his tenure as prime minister that British special forces were killing civilians in Afghanistan.
His spokesperson said it was “right that we await the official findings of the inquiry”. They added that “any suggestion that Lord Cameron colluded in covering up allegations of serious criminal wrongdoing is total nonsense”.
The allegations are based on interviews conducted by investigators from the BBC’s Panorama programme, from more than 30 veterans who served with or alongside UK special forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Richard Bennett, the UN-appointed special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, said the allegations highlighted “the need for comprehensive accountability and justice for victims and their families”.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan as its work continues.
“It is not appropriate for the MoD to comment on allegations which may be within the scope of the statutory inquiry, or to speculate on outcomes.
“Anyone can provide evidence to the inquiry, no matter where in the world they are. If any potential evidence is – or has been – uncovered by BBC Panorama, we would urge them to get in touch with the inquiry team and the police.”
Panorama – Special Forces: I Saw War Crimes is on BBC iPlayer now and airs on BBC One at 8pm Monday 12 May
