Afghan president voiced concern over civilians killed by SAS troops, inquiry told
Newly released evidence from inquiry into 80 deaths shows Afghan partner forces no longer willing to work alongside British by 2011
TL;DR
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai complained "muscularly" to NATO commanders about civilian deaths caused by British special forces.
- By spring 2011, Afghan partner forces were reluctant to operate with the British SAS due to concerns about their tactics.
- A specific tactic involved separating Afghan males during raids, which was reportedly leading to increased civilian deaths and counterproductive outcomes.
- The inquiry heard that the pressure to achieve results in 2010, following high British casualties, may have contributed to these tactics.
- Allegations include the shooting of sleeping Afghan adults and a suspected policy of "kill all males on target" referred to as 'flat packing'.