BBC News details deadly 2012 Afghanistan raid that was never investigated
Royal Military Police said that they are now reviewing the incident that resulted in the deaths of two parents and that gravely wounded their infant sons
British news agency BBC News on Wednesday published details of a deadly 2012 raid by British special forces in Afghanistan that was never investigated.
Two young parents were killed and their infant sons gravely wounded in the attack on the family's house on August 6, 2012, in the rural village of Shesh Aba in Nimruz province.
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According to the report, the raid was never referred to the Royal Military Police (RMP) by the commanding officer and was thus never investigated. The RMP told BBC News that the incident was under review now because of the UK public broadcaster's investigation.
The UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) told BBC News that the raid was done by British forces and confirmed that an internal review was conducted after the raid but that it never reached the RMP.
"There is a comprehensive MOD policy in place for actions to be taken in the event of possible civilian casualties," The MOD said. "Following a review by senior Army lawyers, it was decided by the Commanding Officer, in accordance with the Armed Forces Act 2006 and MoD policy, that the circumstances did not require a referral to the Service Police."
An earlier BBC News investigation published this past summer found that one unit of the SAS (British special forces) may have been responsible for the unlawful killings of 54 people under suspicious circumstances during one six-month tour of the country. The news organization gathered the information from military reports.
"Too many people were being killed on night raids and the explanations didn't make sense," a source from UK Special Forces headquarters said. "Once somebody is detained, they shouldn't end up dead. For it to happen over and over again was causing alarm at HQ. It was clear at the time that something was wrong."