British military police arrest five SAS soldiers over alleged war crimes committed in Syria

LONDON — Five soldiers from the Special Air Service (SAS) have been arrested by British military police on suspicion of committing war crimes while on operations in Syria.

The Ministry of Defence declined to provide direct commentary on the ongoing investigation. However, sources corroborated the accuracy of reports circulating within military circles regarding the arrests.

The charges include the shooting of a suspect whom they believed was preparing to carry out a suicide attack. Senior officers deemed this action as an excessive use of force, suggesting that the individual should have been apprehended rather than killed.

According to sources cited by The Times, the Serious Crimes Unit of the Ministry of Defence conducted an investigation, which recommended charging the five soldiers with murder. The findings were subsequently forwarded to the Public Prosecution Authority.

Over the past decade, these soldiers have conducted operations in Syria and Iraq as part of British efforts to combat the Islamic State (ISIS). Their responsibilities included identifying ground targets for the British Air Service and participating in delicate operations to rescue children who had been transported to the caliphate and repatriate them to Britain.