Afghan boys 'younger than 16' executed by SAS, inquiry told

Afghan children were among “innocents” allegedly executed by British special forces during operations targeting Taliban militants, a public inquiry has been told.

The allegation is contained in redacted evidence from former soldiers heard by the inquiry into alleged extrajudicial killings by special forces in Afghanistan’s Helmand province between 2010 and 2013.

Summaries of the evidence, which was heard in closed sessions last year, were published on the inquiry’s website on Wednesday.

The allegations focus on the activities of an SAS unit, referred to as UKSF1 in the inquiry documents, during so-called “deliberate detention operations” (DDO) which lawyers for bereaved Afghan families say resulted in the deaths of more than 80 people.