SAS murder probe was 'dictated from above' and investigators were blocked from charging special forces, inquiry hears

Delme Williams, a military police investigator on Operation Northmoor, told the Afghanistan war crimes inquiry that senior officers dictated the course of his team's investigation and prevented them from following the evidence. Williams said he remained convinced that SAS members should have been criminally charged over killings in Helmand Province between 2010 and 2011. He questioned whether the Gold commander overseeing the probe was being 'influenced to close the investigation'.

One inquiry examined the killing of nine people in a shooting at a property in Nad Ali district in February 2011 — the youngest victim was 14.

Bullet holes photographed close to floor level appeared to undermine the SAS account that those killed had fired on British forces first, yet investigators were stopped from submitting the images for forensic analysis.

A high proportion of SAS personnel who received formal inquiry notices have declined to respond to any questions, citing privilege against self-incrimination.