Monday 3 August 2026

Afghanistan Inquiry: further witness statements released Jul 2026

The Afghanistan Inquiry has released further witness statements and transcripts.

The fullest media report at the time of writing is by Tom Ball in The Times - SAS called me Taliban apologist, officer tells Afghanistan inquiry.

Allegations involving British or allied forces in Afghanistan are inevitably highly sensitive and controversial, including for BAFF itself.

Strong differences of opinion inevitably

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Commanders and senior officers granted 'core participant' status in Afghanistan Inquiry

The Chair of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan has granted Core Participant status to five individuals "who held command roles or senior positions within UK Special Forces between mid-2010 and mid-2013."

Lord Justice Haddon-Cave's decision was announced on the Inquiry website on 20 May.

Under the inquiry rules, Core Participant ("CP") status is only granted with consent of the individual,

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'Lawfare', human rights, and BAFF

Thanks BAFF for the ongoing coverage of the Troubles Bill and related muddles. As the Federation's original chairman and currently assisting with the ongoing BAFF restructuring, I thought it would be worth reminding ourselves of the Federation's position over the years on the applicability of law to military operations - and especially on so-called 'legacy investigations' taking place years after

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When you cause unintended civilian casualties in a war

I wonder why this has come to mind today. Maybe it's because I attended a recent ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the end of active operations in the Gulf; Op Granby to the Brits, Desert Storm to our major allies.

But Ive been refreshing my memory on something that happened in that conflict. A strategic bridge over the wide

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Free legal advice to be available to victims of sexual offences perpetrated by service personnel

The Ministry of Defence has announced that for the first time, free, independent legal advice will be available to victim-survivors of rape and sexual offences (allegedly) committed by Service personnel or a civilian subject to Service Discipline that are being investigated by the Service Justice System.

The Independent Legal Advocacy (ILA) support programme pilot will, from Spring 2026, provide impartial

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