Special Forces leaders have united in an unprecedented move to stop legal witch hunts against veterans.
The heads of the UK’s three most elite military units have said ‘enough is enough’ after Labour seeks to leave troops exposed.
The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act was introduced by then veterans minister Johnny Mercer in 2023 and established an independent commission, away from criminal and legal proceedings, to promote reconciliation. Sir Keir Starmer’s government has promised to dismantle the Legacy Act, in fact including a pledge to amend it in their election manifesto last year.
The Mail’s Stop the SAS Betrayal campaign has demanded a U-turn to stop former soldiers being hounded in their old age.
The Government’s failure to fight their corner has led to a joint move by veterans from the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) associations.
They have written to Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, demanding action now to stop the ‘lawfare’.
At the centre of the campaign are 12 SAS soldiers who could face murder charges after a coroner ruled their shooting of four IRA terrorists in 1992 was unlawful.
The men were cleared after an extensive investigation into events at Clonoe, County Tyrone. But campaigners have claimed their relatives’ human rights were ignored.
The Special Forces chiefs have written to Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin (pictured), demanding action now to stop the ‘lawfare’
That night the terrorists had been equipped with a Russian-made heavy machine gun and three assault rifles.
Remarkably, this February coroner Mr Justice Humphreys ruled the SAS’s use of force excessive.
The Mail understands this is the first time in the history of the SAS, SBS and SRR they have challenged the head of the UK’s Armed Forces together. Their letter reads: ‘This unified communication makes clear our collective position. A line must be drawn under the legacy matters arising from the conflict and that the time has come to bring closure to events that may never reach a just or conclusive end.
‘We believe it is time to bring certainty, closure and fairness to this issue, not only for those who served but also for their families. Our joint letter reflects the deep concern held across the military community and urges decisive leadership to resolve this matter once and for all.’
The Mail understands the current Director of Special Forces, who is responsible for SAS, SBS and SRR operations around the world, has also penned a furious letter on the same issue. Last night these unprecedented moves received emphatic support from former Commanding Officers (COs) of the SAS, leading defence voices and shadow ministers.
Speaking exclusively to this newspaper, former SAS CO Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams criticised the Ministry of Defence’s position. He said: ‘The whole country should reflect on the contents of this important letter by the combined Special Forces Associations and the total lack of official response extremely seriously.
‘It outlines clearly a critical crisis of trust in the military and political chain of command by those special forces engaged today in the most dangerous and sensitive of national security operations. I remain utterly dumbfounded by the lack of overt support shown by the current or past leadership of the MoD for these brave and skilled British soldiers.
‘The consistent, sweaty-palmed silence by those appointed to lead and resource our forces cannot be justified in any way and smacks of moral cowardice.’
The Mail’s Stop the SAS Betrayal campaign has demanded a U-turn to stop former soldiers being hounded in their old age
Since the Mail’s campaign began last month, tens of thousands of signatures have been added to a petition backing veterans.
Last night more than 165,000 people had signed the UK Government and Parliament petition. A further surge is expected in the build up to a major parliamentary debate on the issue on July 14.
The political side of the campaign is being led by David Davis MP, former SAS reservist, and Tory defence spokesman Mark Francois. Last night, Mr Francois said: ‘I welcome this well-informed intervention by these highly experienced personnel.
‘Both the outgoing CDS, Admiral Sir Tony and his successor, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, have acknowledged the recruitment challenges facing the Armed Forces. But who would sign up to serve a government that plainly doesn’t have the back of troops?’
Labour’s manifesto included a pledge to repeal the act after a Belfast court last February ruled the amnesties were unlawful.
The Act was found to breach the European Convention on Human Rights which places an investigative duty on the state where its agents may have caused death or injury. The government intends to use a Remedial Act to remove key provisions within the Legacy Act.
Mr Mercer, who is backing the Mail’s campaign, has described military veterans who left the forces to become Labour MPs as ‘useful idiots’.
Former Army commander Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon said: ‘Special Forces are the brightest jewel in the military crown who must be protected and supported. To lose any of their mercurial capabilities would make us less safe at home and abroad.’
The Ministry of Defence said: ‘We consider that the findings and verdict [of the Clonoe incident] do not properly reflect the context of the incident nor the challenging circumstances in which members of the Armed Forces served in Northern Ireland.
‘We inherited a mess of a Legacy Act that was not supported by a number of Veterans groups and would have also meant immunity from prosecution for those who committed the most appalling terrorist crimes – such as those who took part in the IRA’s bombing campaign.’
‘Soldiers don’t want to be deployed after our bogus murder charges’
An SAS soldier cleared of murder after shooting a jihadist in Syria has accused top brass of throwing soldiers ‘under the bus’.
The Mail revealed he was one of five SAS troopers who went through a three-year legal hell.
The soldiers were accused of unlawfully killing two terrorists in Syria via excessive force despite the enemy fighters vowing to use suicide vests to blow up ‘infidels’.
The jihadists were eventually shot dead by an SAS assault team in a raid in hostile territory in July 2022. They were only cleared of wrongdoing last month.
In a remarkable interview on a US podcast ‘Jay Cal’ – as he called himself – said SAS operations are being compromised by red tape.
He also accused General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, former Special Forces director of triggering the investigation despite knowing there was no wrongdoing.
In a remarkable interview on a US podcast ‘Jay Cal’ – as he called himself – said SAS operations are being compromised by red tape
Pictures claiming to show British SAS ground troops supporting the war on ISIS inside Syria
Jay told the Shawn Ryan Show: ‘These guys like Sir Gwyn sit in their ivory towers in Westminster making these decisions which are destroying people’s lives. SAS soldiers are saying they don’t want to deploy on operations because what happened to us will happen to them. It is a disgrace. They are spineless, they have no moral courage. This has got to stop.’
Jay, or Soldier C as he was known in the military police investigation, suggested Sir Gwyn wanted to ‘look transparent’ to boost his career. He described how Sir Gwyn’s decision to launch the probe came after he was accused of ignoring war crimes.
He added: ‘We were thrown under the bus despite there being no wrongdoing.’Jay said his colleagues who also faced murder charges suffered emotional trauma.
Despite their ordeal, the ‘Syria Five’ have not received any apology. They claim the Ministry of Defence failed to support them through the legal process.
Their case provoked fury within the regiment, with troops demanding their officers provide more support.
