“Threw prisoners off a forklift for fun”... Testimonies accuse British forces of abuses in Afghanistan

Investigations into abuses attributed to British special forces in Afghanistan revealed that British troops threw Afghan prisoners off a forklift “for fun,” and that a British soldier was described as a “Taliban sympathizer” simply for raising concerns about the killing of three farmers in a raid by special forces.

According to Britain's Sky News, former journalist Monica Greenfield, who was in contact with the logistics support crew of British special forces, and Christopher Green, a former British Army Reserve soldier, contacted the Afghanistan Inquiry Commission to testify after the commission chairman issued a request for information.

The commission is investigating allegations that British special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013, amid claims of attempts to cover up the facts.

“We killed innocent people”

Green, who served between January and September 2012, said he tried to raise concerns about the killing of three brothers who were farmers in the village of Rahim.

He noted that they were shot during an arrest operation that Green said “went wrong,” with special forces shooting the farmers claiming “self-defense.”

He added that his unit's intelligence team was “absolutely clear that there was nothing to indicate that the brothers were anything other than farmers, let alone any evidence that they were Taliban leaders.”

He said that when he raised questions about the incident, he faced strong resistance, explaining that one officer described him as a “Taliban sympathizer” because of his questioning of special forces' actions.

Green said he requested to view video footage of the killings, referred to as “shooting tapes,” to help him understand the incident and “engage with locals to try to calm the situation.”

However, despite obtaining the necessary clearance to view the video, he was denied access, according to the inquiry.

The inquiry heard testimony that the brothers' mother, Bibi Hazrata, received a cash payment equivalent to £3,634 from the British government after her sons' deaths, described as a “financial assistance.”

Green told the inquiry chairman, Lord Haddon-Cave, that this was an “unusual policy” and that he considered it “an implicit admission of killing innocent people.”

He said: “I can only express my regret for not making this statement earlier.”

“Threw prisoners off a forklift for fun”

Greenfield said one soldier told her that some special forces members mistreated detainees, adding: “I remember specifically him telling me that he would put prisoners on a forklift, then lift them up and drive very fast so they would fall off.”

She added: “I never saw anywhere worse than that, and I had the feeling that people were free to do what they wanted,” stressing: “I felt that no one was watching them.”

The inquiry is also looking into allegations of cover-ups of illegal activities and the adequacy of investigations conducted by the Royal Military Police.

Previous investigations had been conducted into allegations of executions by British special forces, including allegations involving the deaths of children, but ended without charges or prosecution.

In a statement, the British Ministry of Defence affirmed that “the government is fully committed to supporting the independent Afghanistan inquiry and appreciates all current and former defence personnel who have given evidence,” adding that it “will continue to provide the support that special forces deserve, while maintaining the transparency and accountability that the British people expect of their armed forces.”

It noted that “it is right to allow the inquiry to complete its important work before responding fully.”