The Defence Secretary has tonight confirmed the decision in line with the US and other NATO allies to withdraw the remaining UK service personnel from Afghanistan beginning next month. In addition to the safety of those troops and other Britons in the country, some of whom are ex-service, the news brings even greater urgency to the need to process applications and extract Afghans who worked for UK forces and their families. The Sulha Alliance campaign about this.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally abandoned its long-running inquiry into allegations that British troops committed war crimes in Iraq between 2003 and 2008.

While the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill continues its progress through the UK Parliament, in Australia the publication of a report into alleged breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict by members of that country's Special Forces is now said to be imminent.

Read on for updates following release of IGADF (Brereton) Afghanistan Inquiry Report on 19 Nov 2020.

It now looks as if the Labour Party, which abstained from opposing the Overseas Operations Bill at Second Reading (and sacked three junior spokesmen for voting against the Bill at that stage), may vote against the Bill at Third Reading tomorrow 3 Nov 2020 if their tabled amendments are not successful.

A large number of cross-party amendments have been proposed by Labour, Liberal Democrat and Scottish National Party MPs - and by Conservatives. (BAFF members and registered supporters will already know that the federation has no party-political affiliation, and that BAFF never claims to speak for others beyond its own membership.)