SAS troops investigated over Syria war crime claims

Five serving SAS soldiers are under investigation over an incident involving allegations of potential war crimes in Syria several years ago.

They have not been arrested but the Defence Serious Crimes Unit is investigating, the BBC has been told.

A number of UK Special Forces have been deployed in Syria in the past decade in operations against Islamic State (IS).

The Ministry of Defence said it held personnel to the highest standards and it took claims of wrongdoing seriously.

"Where appropriate, any criminal allegations are referred to the Service Police for investigation," a spokesperson added.

The MoD does not comment on the activities of UK Special Forces - their whereabouts or their operations.

But according to the Daily Mail, the incident under scrutiny relates to an operation two years ago involving the killing of a suspected jihadist.

Citing SAS sources, the Mail reports that a primed bomb vest was reportedly found nearby but the suspect was not wearing it when killed.

The paper reports that the soldiers are alleged by superiors to have used excessive force and should have arrested the man instead, while the soldiers have claimed he posed a threat and intended to carry out a suicide attack.

Special Forces units have been undertaking operations in Syria for several years.

In 2018, Sgt Matt Tonroe was killed by friendly fire on a joint operation with US military units.

IS, an extremist Islamist group, came to international prominence in 2014 when it seized large parts of Syria and Iraq. It is a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK and other western nations.

Separately, a public inquiry is being held into the activities of the SAS during their time in Afghanistan.

The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, launched in the wake of reporting by the BBC and other media outlets, is investigating whether UK Special Forces killed civilians and unarmed people on night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013.