Former UK special-forces soldier reveals disturbing practices in Afghanistan

A former member of the UK’s elite Special Boat Service (SBS) exposed disturbing practices allegedly carried out by the Special Air Service (SAS) during operations in Afghanistan, Middle East Monitor reported.

The ex-soldier provided testimony to a public inquiry investigating the deaths of up to 80 Afghan civilians in Helmand province between 2010 and 2013.

The soldier, referred to only as N1799 to protect his identity, recounted a disturbing conversation with an SAS member known as N1201. In his testimony from 2011, N1799 expressed his horror at the age and methods employed to kill Afghan civilians. He claimed that the SAS operated under an unofficial policy to “kill all males on target whether they posed a threat or not.”

One particularly alarming detail was the use of the term “flat packing,” which was reportedly used informally to refer to these killings. N1799 found this phrase deeply unsettling.

During a training course, N1201 shared a chilling account of an operation, stating that “a pillow had been put over the head of someone before they had been killed with a pistol.” Despite raising concerns with his superiors, N1799’s testimony suggests that such practices went largely unaddressed.

These allegations are part of a broader inquiry into misconduct by elite UK forces, including the SAS and SBS, during covert operations in Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. The inquiry has received evidence from seven commanders and soldiers, and public summaries of N1799’s testimony were released on Wednesday, though some details remain classified for national security reasons.