Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace Faces Scrutiny Over SAS War Crimes Allegations and Changes to Overseas Operations Bill

Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace is facing significant questions regarding changes made to the Overseas Operations Bill, which reduced the prosecution protection period for British troops from ten to five years. Senior government sources revealed that Wallace, who oversaw the bill, was aware of serious war crimes allegations against the SAS during their operations in Afghanistan. The bill had been designed to prevent what the government described as “vexatious” claims against troops, but critics argue the changes deliberately shielded elite forces from prosecution.

The allegations against the SAS are now under investigation by a public inquiry led by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, launched after a BBC Panorama investigation revealed that an SAS squadron killed 54 individuals in suspicious circumstances during a six-month tour. Wallace is scheduled to provide evidence to the inquiry, as concerns grow about whether his changes to the bill were aimed at protecting soldiers accused of war crimes, including extrajudicial killings and torture, from facing prosecution.

Critics, including former Attorney General Dominic Grieve and human rights advocates, have expressed serious misgivings about the intent of the bill’s amendments. Grieve called the timeframe change “troubling,” while bereaved Afghan families involved in the inquiry raised concerns that Wallace personally pushed for the reduced prosecution window, despite knowing about the serious allegations against the SAS. The bill, which was eventually passed in 2021, was amended to exclude war crimes, torture, and genocide from prosecution protections.

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright