UK Special Forces accused of ‘excessive force’ in Libya operation
Up to five members of the UK Special Forces are being investigated for use of ‘excessive force’ in a covert operation in Libya.
The Daily Mail reported on January 7th that members that members of the Special Boat Service – SBS – were involved in a car chase “which ended with the vehicles they were driving ‘circling’ the suspect’s vehicle”. The soldiers then shot into the vehicle, killing the occupant believed to be a terrorist suspect.
The investigation is into whether the UK special forces used excessive force, and whether they could have arrested the suspect instead.
However, the BBC have reported that details of exactly what happened are unknown. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) does not publicly comment on special forces operations.
Whilst it was believed that UK Special Forces were on the ground when the 2011 NATO air campaign began in Libya, targeting Moammar Gadhafi’s regime.
This investigation suggests UK forces have been in Libya much more recently, with the Daily Mail reporting that troops were believed to be deployed on a covert mission two years ago.
Both the BBC and Daily Mail also commented that this investigation comes at a difficult time for the special forces.
The BBC reported that “nine members of UK special forces could face prosecution over alleged war crimes linked to at least two separate incidents in Syria”.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported there is an ongoing High Court inquiry into the Special Air Service (SAS) in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2013. The inquiry regards the deaths of 80 ‘Taliban suspects’, including children, in British custody.
Overall, this new investigation suggests a trend that the special forces have used excessive force in covert operations abroad.
Daily Mail, BBC
