In the long reckoning that follows war, Britain finds itself three and a half years into an inquiry examining whether its most elite soldiers murdered unarmed Afghan civilians and children during night raids between 2010 and 2013 — and has spent £58 million without a single finding to show for it. The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, launched in 2023 with a promise of results within 18 months, has been stretched by the sheer weight of the allegations and the Ministry of Defence's slow disclosure of evidence. It is a familiar tension in democratic societies: the machinery of account
Afghan war crimes inquiry costs UK £58m with no findings yet after 3.5 years
Allegations include SAS murders of unarmed Afghan civilians and children during night raids between 2010-2013.
The prolonged nature of the process is itself causing significant harm
Mark
Why did this inquiry take so long to get off the ground in the first place?
Mimi
It was launched in 2023 after BBC Panorama reported on the allegations in 2022. The former defence secretary Ben Wallace set it up, so there was a lag between the public reporting and the formal inquiry.
Luke
But we should be clear—the allegations themselves are older. The operations in question happened between 2010 and 2013. So we're talking about a decade-plus gap between the events and any formal investigation.
Mark
And the chair promised results in 12 to 18 months?
Mimi
Yes. Lord Justice Haddon-Cave said it would report "at least on an interim basis" within that window. That was the public commitment.
Luke
Which means either the scope was wildly underestimated, or something else is slowing it down. The inquiry blames complexity and MoD delays in disclosure. We should note that's their explanation—we don't have independent verification of how much the delays actually cost in time.
Mark
What's the actual cost discrepancy here?
Mimi
The inquiry says it spent £14.68 million. The MoD says the total is £58 million when you include their own staff time.
Luke
That's a significant gap. The difference is that 74 MoD employees are working more than half their time on this. So the question becomes: is that a fair accounting of the true cost, or is the MoD inflating the number by counting staff who would be paid anyway?
Mark
Have they actually heard evidence of wrongdoing?
Mimi
Yes. Senior military personnel have testified that they believed the SAS carried out extrajudicial killings. There are also concerns about how secret the operations were and whether previous investigations were shut down too early.
Luke
But—and this is important—we don't know what the inquiry will conclude. We have allegations, we have testimony suggesting those allegations may have merit, but no findings yet. That's the whole point of the delay.
Mark
What's the harm the SAS association is talking about?
Mimi
They say the prolonged scrutiny is damaging morale and wellbeing among personnel, and potentially affecting operational readiness. They also point out that SAS soldiers have faced legal scrutiny from multiple conflicts over decades.
Luke
That's a real concern for them, but it's also worth noting: accountability inquiries are supposed to be uncomfortable. The question is whether the discomfort is proportionate to the seriousness of the allegations. We don't have enough information to judge that yet.
Der Puls
- Allegations that SAS soldiers executed unarmed Afghan detainees and children during covert night raids represent some of the gravest accusations ever levelled against British special forces.
- What was promised in 12 to 18 months has consumed three and a half years, with the Ministry of Defence's delays in releasing information cited as a key reason the inquiry has stalled.
- The true financial toll — £58 million, nearly four times the inquiry's own reported figure — only emerged after a BBC Freedom of Information request forced the MoD to account for its 74 dedicated staff.
- The SAS Regimental Association warns that the prolonged process is eroding morale, damaging the regiment's reputation, and threatening the operational readiness of a cornerstone of Britain's defence.
- The inquiry insists a timely conclusion remains its priority, but offers no date — leaving veterans, victims' families, and the public suspended in an expensive and unresolved silence.
In the long reckoning that follows war, Britain finds itself three and a half years into an inquiry examining whether its most elite soldiers murdered unarmed Afghan civilians and children during night raids between 2010 and 2013 — and has spent £58 million without a single finding to show for it. The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, launched in 2023 with a promise of results within 18 months, has been stretched by the sheer weight of the allegations and the Ministry of Defence's slow disclosure of evidence. It is a familiar tension in democratic societies: the machinery of accountability moves at its own pace, indifferent to the costs borne by taxpayers, veterans, and the memory of the dead alike.
Three and a half years after it was launched, Britain's Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan has yet to publish a single finding. The bill to taxpayers has reached £58 million.
Established in 2023, the inquiry was tasked with examining allegations that SAS soldiers murdered unarmed Afghan civilians — including children — during night raids between 2010 and 2013. Its chair, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, initially promised at least preliminary results within 12 to 18 months. That deadline has long passed. The inquiry now acknowledges the work proved far more complex than anticipated, compounded by the Ministry of Defence's delays in handing over relevant material.
The cost figures reveal a significant discrepancy. The inquiry itself reported spending £14.68 million through the 2024-25 financial year. But a BBC Freedom of Information request uncovered a far larger total: £58 million when MoD staff costs are included — 74 employees currently devoting more than half their working time to the investigation.
The allegations are serious. The SAS stands accused of extrajudicial killings of detainees and civilians during operations nominally targeting Taliban fighters. Senior military figures have already given evidence suggesting they believed such killings took place, and witnesses have raised concerns about the extreme secrecy surrounding SAS operations and about earlier investigations being closed prematurely.
The delay has sharpened tensions. The SAS Regimental Association, representing over 5,000 veterans and active personnel, warned that the prolonged process is causing "significant and widening harm" — to individual morale, to families, and potentially to Britain's operational defence capability. The association also noted the cumulative weight of legal scrutiny its members have faced across decades of operations in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
By historical comparison, the inquiry remains relatively young — the Bloody Sunday Inquiry ran for 12 years and cost over £190 million. But the gap between what was promised and what has been delivered continues to widen, and what the inquiry will ultimately conclude, and when, remains entirely unknown.
Three and a half years into an investigation of alleged British war crimes in Afghanistan, the inquiry has yet to release a single finding. The bill to UK taxpayers has reached £58 million.
The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan was established in 2023 to examine allegations that soldiers from the Special Air Service murdered unarmed Afghan civilians, including children, during night raids between 2010 and 2013. The inquiry's chair, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, initially promised to deliver at least preliminary results within 12 to 18 months. That timeline has long since passed. The inquiry now says its work proved "greater and more complex than it originally envisaged," and that delays from the Ministry of Defence in providing information have further extended the schedule.
The cost figures tell two different stories. The inquiry itself reports spending £14.68 million through the end of the 2024-25 financial year—money that covered the chair's salary, the secretariat, lawyers, and expert witnesses. But when the BBC submitted a Freedom of Information request, the Ministry of Defence disclosed a much larger total: £58 million in combined costs through March 2026. That figure includes not only the inquiry's direct expenses but also the cost of Ministry of Defence staff dedicated to the investigation. Seventy-four MoD employees are currently working more than half their time on the inquiry alone.
The allegations at the center of the investigation are grave. The SAS is accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings of Afghan detainees and civilians during operations that were supposed to target Taliban fighters. Senior UK military personnel have already given evidence to the inquiry suggesting they believed such killings occurred. Witnesses have also raised concerns about the extreme secrecy surrounding SAS operations and about previous investigations into these allegations being shut down prematurely. Much of the inquiry's work has been conducted behind closed doors to protect the identities of serving personnel, though some evidence has been made public.
The delay has created tension. The SAS Regimental Association, which represents more than 5,000 veterans and active personnel, said in a statement that it remains committed to supporting the inquiry but warned that "the prolonged nature of the process is itself causing significant and widening harm." The association argued that the extended scrutiny threatens not only the regiment's reputation but the morale and wellbeing of its members, and potentially the operational effectiveness of a critical part of Britain's defence capability. The group also noted that SAS personnel have faced decades of legal scrutiny stemming from operations in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria—a cumulative burden that the association says is weighing heavily on individuals and families.
Public inquiries into military conduct are rarely swift or inexpensive. The Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which investigated the killing of 13 civil rights protesters by British soldiers in Northern Ireland, took 12 years to complete and cost more than £190 million. By that measure, the Afghanistan inquiry remains relatively young, though the gap between its original timeline and its current trajectory has widened considerably. The inquiry responded to criticism by reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of Special Forces personnel and witnesses, and stating that reaching a timely conclusion serves everyone's interests. What that conclusion will be, and when it will arrive, remains unknown.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The prolonged nature of the process is itself causing significant and widening harm— SAS Regimental Association
The work was greater and more complex than it originally envisaged, with delays by the MoD in disclosing information also affecting the timetable— The inquiry
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