THE LAUNCH of an independent inquiry into the conduct of British soldiers in Afghanistan has been branded a ‘shameful and sickening betrayal’ by an outspoken Worcester councillor.
Coun Alan Amos, a Conservative city and county councillor, spoke out after the Ministry of Defence (MOD) revealed a probe into the conduct of deliberate detention operations in Afghanistan. The inquiry will investigate alleged activity during the period mid-2010 to mid-2013.
The inquiry will also look at the adequacy of MOD’s response to those concerns and assess what lessons can be learned.
This will take into account the progress which has already been made across defence in holding Armed Forces personnel to account for their actions, and the handling of allegations which were later found to have insufficient evidence for any prosecutions.
Coun Amos said: “All right-minded people rightly regard the men and women of our armed forces as heroes, ready and willing to give up their lives for this country, always ready to step in to any emergency to help the British people in times of need and crisis.
“So how do we reward and thank them? By an utterly shameful and sickening betrayal that some of them are now to face a years-long investigation into allegations about what may have happened 12 years ago in war-torn Afghanistan.
“The only winners will be left-wing lawyers raking in millions of taxpayers money and our country’s enemies at home and abroad. The losers will be our heroes whose families will be subject to years of worry and torment.
“It should be inconceivable this country would even consider taking measures which could lead to war crimes trials against our own troops. A British government sent those troops to that dreadful place, and we owe them our loyalty now.
Whilst our enemies will be enjoying this, the Government must put an end to this betrayal immediately by passing the necessary legislation if need be.
The inquiry will be chaired by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, a senior presiding judge for England and Wales.
Lord Justice Haddon-Cave has previous experience in defence, having been appointed by the then Secretary of State for Defence to conduct the Nimrod Review into broader issues surrounding the loss of the RAF Nimrod MR2 aircraft XV230 in Afghanistan in 2006.
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said: “Defence has made a number of changes in recent years when dealing with serious allegations of wrongdoing against our Armed Forces.
“Many of these are already in operation, including the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit.
“While there have been several comprehensive investigations into the events in question, if there are further lessons to learn it is right we consider those fully to ensure all allegations are handled appropriately and in equal measure to ensure our personnel are adequately protected from unnecessary reinvestigations.”
