Afghan inquiry into alleged SAS war crimes has already cost £58m, MoD figures show

The inquiry's costs were £14.68m, until the extremity of the 2024-5 fiscal year. Those included the wage of the chair, Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, its secretariat, lawyers and adept witnesses. The enquiry said its expenditure was proportionate and overseen judicially.

However, the Ministry of Defence has fixed a overmuch higher figure. Following a Freedom of Information petition submitted by the BBC, the MoD enactment the wide outgo astatine £58m to March 2026.

The fig included the costs to the MoD arsenic good arsenic those of the enquiry team, it said. The MoD said that 74 of its unit were presently moving much than 50% of their clip connected the inquiry.

The SAS Regimental Association (SASRA), which represents much than 5,000 SAS veterans and serving personnel, said it remained committed to supporting the enquiry and helping execute a "timely solution".

But successful a statement, it added: "The prolonged quality of the process is itself causing important and widening harm."

It said the enquiry posed a "significant challenge, not lone to the regiment's estimation and the wellbeing and morale of its members, but successful the association's view, to the operational effectiveness of a cardinal constituent of the nation's defence".

It said the cumulative effect of decades of ineligible scrutiny arising from operations successful Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria was placing a important load connected individuals, families and the relation itself.

Public inquiries are seldom speedy oregon cheap. The Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which recovered the sidesplitting of 13 civilian rights protesters successful Northern Ireland by British soldiers was "unjustified", took 12 years to implicit and outgo much than £190m.

In response, the enquiry said it remained committed to the payment and information of UK Special Forces personnel, and a timely decision to the enquiry was successful everyone's interest.

"The seat remains committed to the payment and information of UK Special Forces unit and witnesses who travel guardant to the inquiry."