United Kingdom (UK) Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced Wednesday that UK Special Forces are the focus of an inquiry into allegations of “unlawful activity” in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. The independent inquiry, which Wallace commissioned in 2022, addresses allegations that the response by Royal Military Police investigating whether unlawful killings had been carried out by the British armed forces was inadequate.

In a short statement, Wallace said:

It is right that the Ministry of Defence continues to balance the requirement to be as open and transparent as possible against national security considerations. The inquiry is now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK special forces. This confirmation is made in the exceptional circumstances of this inquiry, where the activities of this organisation are the central focus of the inquiry’s investigation, as set out in its terms of reference.

The inquiry is looking into whether there can be lessons learned by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) as a result of these allegations and whether any progress has been made across the various departments in regard to MOD’s accountability procedures and the handling of evidence. Leading the inquiry is Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, a Senior member of the judiciary in England and Wales.