An inquiry into alleged unlawful killings by UK special forces in Afghanistan has released photographs described as "essential evidence", depicting what appear to be unarmed individuals shot while lying in bed. The images, made public for the first time, show multiple deceased people with gunshot wounds to the head, prompting the inquiry's lead barrister to characterise them as potential proof of war crimes. According to BBC News, the photographs contradict official accounts provided by the SAS and raise serious questions about whether victims were executed rather than killed in combat.
The inquiry is examining allegations that the SAS murdered unarmed civilians and detainees during night raids conducted between 2010 and 2013, and that weapons were planted at scenes to fabricate evidence of firefights. Oliver Glasgow KC, the inquiry's lead barrister, stated that the photographs may constitute evidence of possible war crimes and warrant detailed expert analysis. The images depict seventeen people killed across two separate operations in Helmand province in 2011, including individuals aged 14 and 15.
What do the photographs show?
The graphic images reveal multiple unarmed people positioned in beds, some tucked beneath blankets or with their heads resting on pillows. Blood pools around their heads in several photographs, with blood spatter visible low on walls—a pattern consistent with gunshot wounds sustained while lying down. Glasgow described how numerous individuals "look like they sustained head shots" and in several instances "there appears to be a dead body with his head on a pillow". He suggested that further forensic analysis might confirm whether the deceased were "shot when asleep".
The photographs display what Glasgow characterised as multiple "traumatic injuries to the head or face" among those killed by the SAS. One image shows a person under a floral blanket, while others depict victims with their heads on pillows, their fatal injuries clearly visible. The positioning and wound patterns led military investigators to conclude the evidence "didn't look right", according to Lt Col John Harvey, who led the Royal Military Police's murder investigation.
Why were the photographs not examined earlier?
Despite repeated requests from police investigators to submit the photographs for expert forensic testing, this analysis never occurred during the original investigation. Lt Col Harvey acknowledged to the inquiry that his team recognised the photographs could be vital evidence. One anonymous investigator told the BBC: "you can see why we were concerned", noting that "bullet marks on the walls so low to the ground appeared to undermine the special forces' version of events."
The inquiry heard that the photographs submitted for examination were "copies of copies of copies", degrading their quality and analytical value. According to This Is The Coast, Harvey had access to higher-quality JPEG images that could have been submitted for analysis but were not. On 10 November, the former Operation Northmoor commander admitted that photographs which "cried out for examination" were never sent to experts, potentially depriving the inquiry of valuable information. The £10 million Operation Northmoor investigation, launched in 2014, examined alleged executions including killings of children but ended without prosecutions.
How does this relate to earlier BBC investigations?
BBC Panorama has investigated allegations that the SAS executed unarmed civilians and children for more than eight years. The public inquiry was established in 2022 following Panorama's revelations about operations in Helmand province. Panorama travelled to Afghanistan to gather evidence related to four raids on homes that resulted in 26 deaths, and the team were the first British investigators to visit the shooting sites despite a five-year military police investigation.
The photographs released by the inquiry appear to support Panorama's 2022 investigation findings. Official special forces accounts claimed Taliban insurgents opened fire on troops as they entered compounds, forcing the SAS to return fire. However, weaponry experts told the BBC that evidence collected by Panorama indicated multiple rounds appeared to have been fired from above, suggesting those killed were either lying down or sitting against walls rather than engaged in active combat. Family members also told Panorama that those killed had been shot cleanly in the head or chest—a characteristic pattern of deliberate SAS shooting at close range.
What does the inquiry reveal about the original investigation?
The inquiry has heard evidence questioning whether alleged war crimes were thoroughly investigated. Military police investigators were still gathering evidence in Afghanistan in July 2019 as senior officers prepared to close their murder investigation and inform ministers. The investigators were searching for eyewitnesses to unlawful killings and the planting of weapons at crime scenes.
One member of the Afghan partner unit that served alongside the SAS during operations told military police he had personally witnessed a British soldier planting a rifle on an unarmed person after they had been killed. This testimony, combined with the photographic evidence, suggests a pattern of potential misconduct extending beyond the initial shootings to include evidence tampering.
The inquiry is currently subjecting the photographs to expert forensic analysis. According to Forces News, the inquiry is examining approximately 10,000 photographs, and the Ministry of Defence disclosed 97 million previously unreviewed archived records, including thousands of potentially relevant documents that may contain additional evidence of misconduct.
What happens next in the inquiry?
The inquiry chair has set 30 April 2027 as the deadline for completing evidence on the alleged unlawful killings. The chair plans to hear from bereaved Afghan families in public during early 2027, allowing victims' relatives to present their accounts and evidence directly to the inquiry. The inquiry, which has already exceeded its original 12-18 month timeline and cost £58 million after 3.5 years without publishing findings, continues to examine the full scope of alleged SAS misconduct during the Afghanistan deployment.
