Sir Ben Wallace says SAS must live within rule of law after murder pass claims A former defence secretary who commissioned the Afghanistan Inquiry has said special forces must “live within the rule of law” after the probe heard claims they have a “golden pass… to get away with murder”.
Questioned on whether he recognised the words of one special forces member that they had a “golden pass… to get away with murder”, Sir Ben told the Today programme: “I recognise that the right place to get to the bottom of all this is a judge-led public inquiry which is why I commissioned it.”.
Sir Ben Wallace, who was in post between July 2019 and August 2023, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it was “absolutely” essential the inquiry got definitive answers over whether murders took place in the war-torn nation between 2010 and 2013.
Asked if he believed the inquiry would be able to give definitive answers over whether murders took place, and whether it was essential for the reputation of the British Army that questions were answered, Sir Ben said: “It absolutely is.
Documents released by the probe on Tuesday showed one special forces member had given evidence to say he was in danger of being branded a “traitor” after reporting that he had been told of one unit carrying out “flat-packing” murders of Afghan civilians.
